Commonwealth Games 2018 - Overview by AffairsClou

Current Affairs Study PDF
Current Affairs July 2018

PDF Capsule
CCent Affairs for Competitive Exam

Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage
1|Page
Copyright 2018 @ AffairsCloud.Com
CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR COMPETITIVE EXAM

CONTENTS
INDIAN AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Cabinet Approvals ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Schemes ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
Launches & Inaugurations ........................................................................................................................... 12
Festival ......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Other News Related to Indian Affairs ......................................................................................................... 32
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS........................................................................................................................ 56
VISIT ............................................................................................................................................................... 63
Indian Visits ................................................................................................................................................. 63
Foreign Visits ............................................................................................................................................... 68
BANKING AND FINANCE ........................................................................................................................... 73
RBI in News ................................................................................................................................................. 73
Technology in Banking ................................................................................................................................ 74
Other Bank & Finance Related News .......................................................................................................... 74
MOU’S & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS ........................................................................................................... 85
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS ...................................................................................................................... 92
SUMMITS & CONFERENCE ........................................................................................................................ 99
INDEX ........................................................................................................................................................... 103
Rankings .................................................................................................................................................... 103
Reports ....................................................................................................................................................... 106
BUSINESS..................................................................................................................................................... 107
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS.................................................................................................................... 111
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS ....................................................................................................... 121
ACQUISITION & MERGER ........................................................................................................................ 128
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 129
DEFENCE...................................................................................................................................................... 138
ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 142
SPORTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 145
OBITUARY ................................................................................................................................................... 165
BOOKS & AUTHORS .................................................................................................................................. 168
IMPORTANT DAYS .................................................................................................................................... 169
STATIC INFORMATION FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS ........................................................................... 174
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader for Mobile APP
2|Page
Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2018 @ AffairsCloud.Com
AffairsCloud Recommends Oliveboard Mock Test
SBI PO 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free
SBI Clerk 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free
IBPS RRB 2018: Take 40 Tests, 1 Free
RBI Grade B 2018: Take 30 Tests, 1 Free
Railways RRB Group D 2018: 1 Free Test
SSC CGL 2018: 50 Tests (30 Tier I + 20 Tier II)
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals
Cabinet Approvals On July 4, 2018
Following are the Cabinet approvals on July 4, 2018.
Cabinet approves Transfer of 5.99 acres of Sashastra Seema Bal’s land at Tawang to the State
Government of Arunachal Pradesh
 On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
approved the Transfer of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)’s land measuring 5.99 acres at Tawang to
the State Government of Arunachal PradeshThis was done for construction of a Mega-Festival-
Cum-Multipurpose Ground for holding various tourism festivals.
 It will have parking facilities of 4,73 acres and construction of ring road of 1.26 acres.
 Government of India, (Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region) has already
sanctioned the project titled “Construction of Mega-Festival-Cum-Multipurpose Ground with
parking facilities and approach road at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh” in March, 2016.
Cabinet approves exemption from charging commercial rates for the plot of land allotted to
the High Commission of Fiji in New Delhi
approved an exemption from charging commercial rates at the time of acquisition for the plot
No. 31-B, measuring 2800 sq.meter in Chanakyapuri, Diplomatic Area to the Fijian High
Commission in New Delhi.
 He also has approved to extend the same terms and conditions as offered by Fiji for the land
offered to the High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji.This is in line of the offering of a plot of
land measuring 6695 sq. meters, by the Government of Fiji in August 2015, at a special lease
of 99 year period with a rent of FJ $ 100 per annum to be assessed every 5 years for
construction of the High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji and proposed exchange of land on
reciprocal basis.
Cabinet approves accession to WIPO Copyright Treaty, 1996 and WIPO Performance and
Phonograms Treaty, 1996
On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approvedthe
proposal submitted by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry regarding accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms
Treaty.
i. This extends coverage of copyright to the internet and digital environment and is a step towards the
objective laid in the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy adopted by the Government on
3|Page
12th May 2016 which aims to get value for IPRs through commercialization.
ii. These treaties will help India:
 To enable creative right-holders to secure a return on the investment made in producing and
distributing creative works through international copyright system;
 To facilitate international protection of domestic rights holder as India already extends
protection to foreign works through the International Copyright order and these treaties will
enable Indian right holders to get reciprocal protection abroad;
 To instill confidence and distribute creative works in digital environment with return on
investment; and
To spur business growth and contribute to the development of a vibrant creative economy and
cultural landscape.
About WIPO Copyright Treaty
It came in force on March 6, 2002 and has been adopted by 96 contracting parties till date and is A
Special agreement under Berne Convention (for protection of literary and artistic works). It has
provisions to extend the protection of copyrights contained therein to the digital environment.
Cabinet approves DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018
approved The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2018.This would expand
the application of DNA-based forensic technologies to support and strengthen the justice
delivery system of the country.
 It would ensure speedier justice delivery.Bill’s provisions will enable the cross-matching
between persons who have been reported missing on the one hand and unidentified dead
bodies found in various parts of the country on the other, and also for establishing the identity
of victims in mass disasters.
Cabinet approves Umbrella Schemes for Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates
On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its
approval for continuance of the 8 existing schemes of the Ministry of Home Affairs upto March
2020 for relief and rehabilitation of migrants and repatriates under the Umbrella scheme “Relief and
Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates”.
i. The financial implication for this purpose is Rs. 3183 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. The
year-wise phasing of the scheme will be- Rs. 911 crore in 2017-18, Rs.1372 crore in 2018-19 and Rs.
900 crore in 2019-2020.
ii. The 8 schemes approved for continuance are already in operation, and the benefits under each will
be extended to intended beneficiaries in accordance with the approved criterion.
iii. The scheme are:
 Central Assistance for one-time settlement of displaced families from Pak Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir (PoJK) and Chhamb settled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.
 Rehabilitation Package and up-gradation of infrastructure of the Bangladeshi Enclaves
and Cooch Behar District after transfer of enclaves between India and Bangladesh under Land
Boundary Agreement.
 Relief assistance to Sri Lankan refugees staying in camps in Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
 Grant-in-Aid to Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) for five years for administrative and
social welfare expenses of Tibetan settlements.
 Grant-in-Aid to Government of Tripura for maintenance of Brus lodged in relief camps of
Tripura.
 Rehabilitation of Bru/Reang families from Tripura to Mizoram.
 Grant of enhanced relief of Rs. 5.00 lakh per deceased person, who died during 1984 Anti-Sikh
Riots.
 Central Scheme for Assistance to Civilian Victims/Family of Victims of
Terrorist/Communal/LWE Violence and Cross Border Firing and Mine/IED blasts on Indian
Territory’.
4|Page
Cabinet approves renaming of Agartala Airport, Tripura as Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya
Kishore Airport, Agartala
 On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today
gave its approval to rename the Agartala Airport in Tripura as ‘Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya
Kishore Airport, Agartala.
 This was done to pay tribute to Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore.
 Agartala Airport was constructed in 1942 on the land donated by Maharaja Bir Bikram
Manikya Kishore.
 Due to his initiative, an aerodrome at Agartala was constructed that has evolved as the second
busiest airport in the North East and provides crucial air connectivity to Tripura.
Cabinet approves extension of Scheme of Recapitalization of Regional Rural Banks upto 2019-
20
 On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
approved the extension of the scheme of recapitalization of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) for
the next three years i.e. upto 2019-20.
 This will enable the RRBs to maintain the minimum prescribed Capital to Risk Weighted Assets
Ratio (CRAR) of 9 per cent.
 There are 56 RRBs functioning in the country. As on 31st March, 2017(Prov.), the total credit
given by RRBs is Rs.2,28,599 crore.
About the Scheme of Recapitalization:
The scheme of Recapitalization of RRBs started in FY 2010-11 and was extended twice in the year
2012-13 and 2015-16. The last extension was upto 31.03.2017. A total amount of Rs. 1107.20 crore, as
Gol share, out of Rs.1450 crore, has been released to RRBs upto 31st March, 2017. The remaining
amount of Rs.342.80 crore will be utilized to provide recapitalization support to RRBs whose CRAR is
below 9%, during the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Cabinet approves revision of the compensation on SESF Operations with Boeing 747-400
aircraft
 On July 4, 2018, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has given its approval to enhance the expenditure for “Special Extra Section
Flights” (SESF) operations to Rs.534.38 crore plus applicable taxes for 2016-17 with built-in
annual escalation of 10%.
 This was enhanced from Rs.336.24 crore plus applicable taxes from Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA)’s decision made in October, 2011.
 This was done to compensate the cost of living index and exchange fluctuation for the
maintenance of B747-400 aircraft.
About SESF B747-400 aircraft:
Air India (Al) operates SESF with B747-400 aircraft for the President, the Vice President and the
Prime Minister of India. The costs on account of these flights are reimbursed to Al by the respective
Ministries.
Cabinet approves renewal of MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India &
Saudi Organisation for Certified Public Accountants
given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in
2014 and approval for renewal of MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) & Saudi Organisation for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) in Saudi Arabia.
 This was done to promote mutual co-operation framework in the areas of Corporate
Governance, Technical Research & Advice, Quality Assurance, Forensic Accounting, issues for
Small and Medium Sized Practices (SMPs), Islamic Finance, Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) and other subjects of mutual interest related to Accountancy.
 This MoU will enable ICAI to promote the Accounting and Auditing profession and all matters
for development and would help in its capacity building.
5|Page
 ICAI has strong presence at the Eastern Province covering Jeddah, Riyadh and Saudi Arabia,
having more than 200 members who have been engaged at different professional level.
 This will additionally help in creating significant employment opportunities for Indian
Chartered Accountants.
About ICAI:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by an Act of
Parliament of India, The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949′, to regulate the profession of Chartered
Accountancy in India.
About SOCPA:
Saudi Certified Public Accountants’ Regulations issued under Royal Decree entrusted the “Saudi
Organisation for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA)” for promotion of the Accountancy and
Auditing profession in Saudi Arabia.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in the sphere of Law
& Justice and establishing a Joint Consultative Committee
approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United
Kingdom on Law & Justice and to set up a Joint Consultative Committee.
 This would help in exchange of experience by legal professionals, government functionaries
and their training and effective legal aid mechanismfor resolution of disputes before various
Courts, Tribunals, etc. and proposes establishment of Joint Consultative Committees.
Cabinet Approvals on July 18

Following are the Cabinet approvals given on July 18, 2018.
Cabinet approves establishment of Medical College, Salempur at Deoria, Uttar Pradesh
Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for establishment of new medical college at Deoria.
 This college would be built at a cost of Rs.250 crore under Phase-II of the Centrally Sponsored
Scheme.
 Under the scheme, the criteria for one medical in every three Parliamentary Constituencies and
one Government medical college in each State was adopted.
 Also a requirement of 24 additional medical colleges including eight medical colleges in Uttar
Pradesh has been approved.
 The college was recommended by the state government of Uttar Pradesh and would be an up-
gradation of District Hospital, Deoria.
Cabinet approves Policy framework for streamlining the working of Production Sharing
Contracts (PSCs) in Pre-NELP and NELP Blocks
On July 18, 2018, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved the policy framework for streamlining the operations of Production
Sharing Contracts (PSCs).
i. This has been done for increased domestic production of hydrocarbon resources.
ii. The Framework includes:
Special dispensation for E&P activities in North Eastern Region (NER) where exploration period has
been increased by two years and appraisal period by one year. Government has also allowed
marketing including pricing freedom for natural gas to stimulate natural gas production in NER.
Sharing of Royalty and Cess in Pre-NELP Exploration Blocks.
Extending tax benefits under Section 42 of Income Tax, 1961prospectively to operational blocks
under Pre-NELP discovered fields.
Relaxing the timeline from 7days to 15 days for giving written notice to notify the occurrence of a
Force Majure event in the PSCs.
Cabinet approves continuation of the Schemes of Pre-Matric, Post Matric and Merit-cum-Means
based Scholarship Schemes
6|Page
On July 18, 2018, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for Continuation of the following schemes.
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme;
Post Matric Scholarship Scheme; and
Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme
i. The total cost for the continuation of the scheme would be Rs. 5338.32 crore for period up to 2019-
20.
ii. These are beneficial for the students belonging to Minority Communities during 2017-18 to 2019-
20. A total of 70 lakh students would be benefitted by it annually.
iii. Although 30% of scholarships are earmarked for girl students, more than 35% of the total
scholarships are disbursed to them.
Features of the scheme are:
 These Schemes shall be implemented through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and
scholarships are disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
 Around 70 lakh scholarships are likely to be disbursed.
 Scholarship is awarded to students who have secured not less than 50% marks in the previous
final examination.
 The students should be studying in Government Schools/ Institutes or recognized private
schools/ institutes.
 The State/Community-wise target/allocation as per Census 2011.
 Physical targets are fixed only for fresh scholarships.
 Renewal scholarships are also awarded, in addition to the fresh scholarships. Renewal
scholarships are for all such students who have been awarded scholarships in the previous
years and fulfill the eligibility criteria.
About the individual schemes:
Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme:
 The objective of the Scheme is to encourage parents from minority communities to send their
school going children (from Class I to X) to school, lighten their financial burden on school
education and sustain their efforts to support their children to complete school education.
 Annual income of parents/ guardian should not be more than Rs 1.00 Lakh.Target-
30,00,000 (Thirty lakh) for Fresh applicants.
Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme:
 The objective of the Scheme is to provide financial assistance to the poor and meritorious
minority students with better opportunities for higher education, increase their rate of
attainment in higher education and enhance their employability in organized sector.
 Annual income of parents/guardians should not be more than Rs. 2.00 Lakh.
 Target- 5,00,000 (Five lakh) for Fresh applicants.
Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme:
 The objective of the Scheme is to provide financial assistance to the poor and meritorious
minority to pursue professional and technical courses at under Graduate and post Graduate
levels.
 Annual income of parents/guardians should not be more than Rs. 2.50 Lakh.
 Target- 60,000 for Fresh applicants.
Entitlements of the Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme:
 Full Course fee reimbursed to the students from 85 institutes listed under the scheme; and for
others at Rs. 20,000/- per annum subject to actuals.
 Maintenance allowance at Rs. 10,000/- per annum for hostellers and at Rs. 5,000/- for day
scholars.
Cabinet approves Special Package for Irrigation Projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and
other chronically drought prone areas of Rest of Maharashtra
7|Page
Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of Centrally Sponsored-Scheme
for Maharashtra.
 Under this completion of 83 Minor Irrigation projects and 8 major/medium irrigation
projects of Marathawada, Vidharbha and drought prone areas of the rest of Maharashtra will
take place.
 This would help in creation of additional potential of 3.77 L Hectares in the region.
 The projects included under special package are over and above the 26 major/ medium
projects of Maharashtra having ultimate potential of 8.501 Ha being funded under PMKSY-
AIBP, which are planned to be completed by December,2019.
 Progress of the projects would be monitored by State as well as Central Water Commission.
 The cost of the projects as on 01.04.2018 is estimated to be Rs. 13,651.61 crore.
 Total Central Assistance to be provided for implementation of these projects is Rs. 3,831.41
crore. Rest is to be provided by Government of Maharashtra. It is also envisaged that State
Share may be arranged through NABARD.
 It will generate employment of approximately 341 lakh man-days for unskilled, semi-skilled
and skilled workers.
Cabinet approves determination of Fair and Remunerative Price payable by Sugar Mills for
2018-19 sugar season
 On July 18, 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar
season 2018-19.
 This has been done keeping in view the interest of sugarcane farmers. The FRP so approved
shall be applicable for purchase of sugarcane from the farmers in the sugar season 2018-19
(starting w.e.f. 1st October, 2018) by the sugar mills.
 The FRP for sugarcane is Rs. 275/- per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10%; providing a
premium of Rs. 2.75/qtl for each 0.1 % increase in recovery over and above 10%.
 This would ensure a return of more than 50 % over the cost to the farmers. The total
remittance to the sugarcane farmers will be more than Rs. 83,000 crore.
 In case of mills where recovery is below 9.5%. Such farmers will get Rs. 261.25 per quintal for
sugarcane in place of Rs. 255/qtl in the current season.
 The sugar sector impacts the livelihood of about 5 crore sugarcane farmers and their
dependents and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.
Cabinet Approvals with Foreign Countries on July 18, 2018

Following are the Cabinet approvals given on July 18, 2018.
Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum of Understanding amongst BRICS Nations on the
Regional Aviation Partnership
On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved
the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amongst BRICS Nations on the Regional Aviation
Partnership Cooperation.
Objective:
i. Establishment of an institutional framework to cooperate in the field of civil aviation.
ii. The key areas of MoU are:
 Public Policies and best practices in regional services;
 Regional Airports;
 Airport infrastructure management and air navigation services;
 Technical cooperation between regulatory agencies;
 Innovation;
 Environment Sustainability; including deliberation of global initiatives;
 Qualification and Training;
 Other fields as mutually determined
8|Page
Benefit:
It would spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges amongst the BRICS Nations.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Cuba on cooperation in the field of Traditional
Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy
 On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
hasapproval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Cuba on
cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
 This Mou was signed on 22.6.2018.
 It will facilitate better understanding of the Traditional Systems of Medicine in India on both
sides.
Background:
The Traditional Systems of Medicine in India consists of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha
and Homoeopathy.
So far the Ministry of Ayush have made MOUs with 10 countries.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Indonesia on cooperation in the field of
pharmaceuticals
 On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
has given approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Central Drugs
Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), India and National Agency for Drug and Food Control
(BPOM), Indonesia.
 This Mou is on cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical products, pharmaceutical substances,
biological product and cosmetics regulatory functions.
 This MOU was on signed on 29th May, 2018 in Jakarta.
 It will facilitate India’s export of pharmaceutical products.
Background:
The CDSCO is a Subordinate Office of the Directorate General of Health Services Department of Health
and Family Welfare. It is the National Regulatory Authority for drugs, medical devices and cosmetics
in India.
Cabinet approves the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) signed in 2010 MRA between the
ICAI of India and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Ireland
On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the
“Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)” signed in 2010 and fresh MRA between the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Ireland.
Objective:
for promotion of mutual co-operation framework for the advancement of accounting knowledge,
professional and intellectual development.
Key Points:
 This would contribute to the development of the accounting profession in Ireland and India.
 The MRA will provide opportunities to members of both the parties to best practices of either
country and thus to cater to demand of newer markets.
Cabinet approves MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Bahrain
Institute of Banking and Finance, Bahrain
On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between theInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) and Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), Bahrain.
Objective:
To work together to strengthen the accounting, financial and audit knowledge base within Bahrain.
Key Points:
 ICAI will provide technical assistance to BIBF related to accounting and finance;
 It will recommend introduction of its CA Course curriculum to BIBF students to write ICAI’s
Examination.
9|Page
 ICAI will provide technical assistance in holding ICAI’s professional examination for qualified
BIBF students.
Cabinet approves MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and “National
Board of Accountants and Auditors, Tanzania
On July 18, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) and National Board of Accountants and Auditors (NBAA), Tanzania.
Objective:
To establish mutual co-operation framework in the certain areas.
Key Points:
 The areas are of Member Management, Professional Ethics, Technical Research, Continuing
Professional Development, Professional Accountancy Training, Audit Quality Monitoring,
Advancement of Accounting Knowledge, Professional and Intellectual Development.
 It will provide an opportunity to the ICAI members to expand their professional horizons and
strengthen relations between the ICAI & NBAA, Tanzania.
 It will help in indirect employment generation for Indian CAs amongst Tanzanian employers.
About ICAI:
♦ The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by an Act of
Parliament of India, The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949′, to regulate the profession of Chartered
Accountancy in India.
♦ President: Naveen N.D. Gupta.
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi.
♦ Founded: 1949.
Schemes
Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) Yojana 2018 : scheme to provide subsized power launched
by Madhya Pradesh govt
On July 4, 2018, The Madhya Pradesh government announced Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal)
Yojana 2018 (a scheme to provide subsidized power)With an Objective for power bill waiver scheme
for labourers and poor families.The scheme is likely to cost the state exchequer Rs 1000 crore and
come into effect from July 1,2018.
i. Power connection under the Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) Yojana would be provided free of
cost to the beneficiaries.
ii. Over 1 crore 83 lakh workers registered under Sambal Yojana in the state till now
iii. Registered labourers of the unorganised sector and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families would be
provided electricity at a cost of Rs 200 per month.
iv. In case the bill is lower than Rs 200, the beneficiary will have to pay the actual bill amount and in
instance of the bill amount crossing Rs 200, the difference amount would be subsidised by the state
government
v. People whose power consumption is below 1000 watts would be eligible for this scheme. The
beneficiaries can operate a fan, a television, and bulbs. vi.Under the power bill waiver scheme,
pending dues (as on June 1, 2018) of registered labourers of the unorganised sector and poor families
would be waived completely.
vi. A total outstanding electricity bill worth 5179 crores rupees is to be waived off.
vii. The scheme is expected to benefit 88 lakh families in the state.
‘One farmer one transformer’: scheme launched to reduce electricity losses from Aug 15
On July 10, 2018, Energy Minister of government of Maharastra
Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced that the state government will launch a scheme for the
farmers from August,2018.
i. The scheme is called “one farmer one transformer”.
ii. It will be launched on 15th August,2018.
10 | P a g e
iii. The objective of the scheme is to reduce electricity losses.

iv. Two lakh farmers will be given electricity connection for high voltage distribution line which will
ensure uninterrupted power supply.
v. Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar announced a Rs 2 lakh hike in the compensation given to the
kin ofpeople killed in attack by wild animals.
vi. Under this, each affected family will now get Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 8 lakh earlier. Rs 3 lakh will
be given in cash and remaining as deposit.
vii.Also farmers who lose their cattle in attack by wild animals will now get Rs 40,000, up from Rs
25,000 earlier.
The Medini Puraskar Yojna Scheme : awarding writings of Hindi authors about green issues
reintroduced
On July 22, 2018, The Environment Ministry re-introduced the ‘Medini Puraskar Yojna’– a scheme that
awards Indian authors for their original work in Hindi on environment, pollution and climate change
subjects.With an Objective to encourage Hindi authors to write on environmental topics.
i. Under this there will be four awards for authors of various environmental topics and
ii. The subjects include:
 environment protection,
 pollution control,
 environmental impact assessment,
 ecological restoration and development,
 forest conservation, forest resources and development,
 protection of wildlife, bio-diversity and climate change,
 conservation of nature and biosphere reserve,
 environment education and nature.
iii. Indian authors who publish books on any of the above subjects are eligible to participate in ‘Medini
Puraskar Yojna.
‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ Scheme
A Scheme named ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of
India’ is implemented by the Ministry of Culture.
i. Objective of the scheme: reinvigorating and revitalizing several institutions, groups, individuals,
identified non-MoC institutions, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars in order to
help them involve in activities or projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the
rich intangible cultural heritage of India.
ii. The Scheme is implemented through: Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is an autonomous organisation
under the Ministry of Culture.
iii. Various proposals related to safeguarding of intangible cultural heritages received from Madhya
Pradesh have been approved under the scheme.
iv. On 24th July 2018, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Ministry of state (independent charge) for Culture and
Minister of State for Environmnet, Forest and Climate change provided this information.
‘Mukhyanmantri Kisan Aaye Badhotri Solar Yojna’ : scheme launched by Delhi CM to increase
the income of farmers by three to five times.
On July 25, 2018, Chief Minister of Delhi Mr. Arvind Kejriwal launched the ‘Mukhyanmantri Kisan
Aaye Badhotri Solar Yojna’.With an Objective to increase the income of farmers by three to five times
in the national capital.
Key Points:
i. Without affecting the agricultural activity maximum one-third of the land would be used for
installation of solar panels.
ii. The minimum height for installing solar panels will be 3.5 metres.
iii. Electricity from the solar panel installed by the private companies will be bought by the
11 | P a g e
government at Rs.4 per unit which will save Rs. 400 to Rs.500 crore.
iv. The scheme would increase the income of the farmers by 3 to 5 times from the present Rs.20,000
to Rs.30,000 per acre per year. Farmers will not invest in the solar installations.
Mahila Shakti Kendra Scheme 2017-2020 launched to empower rural women through
community participation in 115 aspirational districts
On July 28, 2018, Government of India has approved a new scheme to empower rural women through
community participation. It is called ‘Mahila Shakti Kendra’ for 2017-18 upto 2019-20.
i. The cost sharing ratio of the scheme is 60:40 between centre and states except North Eastern states.
ii. North East and Special Category Stateshave the ratio of 90:10.
iii. It will work on the following levels:
 At the national level via domain based knowledge support and
 At the state level via State Resource Centre for Women technical support .
iv. It will be done through College Student Volunteers in 115 aspirational districts as part of the Block
Level initiatives.
v. District Level Centre for Women (DLCW) has also been provided to for 640 districts to be covered
in phased manner.
Launches & Inaugurations

Central Reserve Police Force launches 24 hour ‘Madadgaar helpline’ in Jammu & Kashmir
On June 29,2018, The Central Reserve Police Force launched ‘Madadgaar Helpline’, a
distress helpline for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.With an Objective to provide immediate
assistance to the people amidst the war-torn region
i. The helpline number is : 14411.
ii. It is a 24 hour helpline giving assistance ranging from medical help to financial help.
iii. This is the first one of a kind helpline and mainly focuses to serve and protect children and women
of the region from any harassment or assault being faced by them.
iv. This is also available to pilgrims and tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir and students residing in
the region.
Jodhpur Institute of Hospitality Management inaugurated by Tourism Minister Shri K.J.

Alphons
On June 30,2018, The Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism Shri. K.J. Alphons inaugurated the Institute of
Hospitality Management in Jodhpur .
i. India is among the fastest growing Tourism economy in the world.
ii. In 2017, the Indian tourism receipts went up by 20.8% against a global growth rate of 7%.
iii. It is expected that in three years India will be able to double the revenue from foreign tourists.
Aadhar enabled e-PAN card service launched by Income Tax Department

On July 2, 2018, The Income Tax Department has launched instant Aadhaar-based e-PAN allotment
service for individuals seeking PAN (Permanent Account Number) service for the first time.
i. The pan service is only available for valid Aadhar card holders.
ii. Eligible only the only for resident individuals and not for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), firms,
trusts and companies.
iii. This facility is free of cost and is available for a limited period on first-come, first-served basis.
iv. The e-PAN will be allotted on basis of one-time password (OTP) sent on mobile number linked to
Aadhaar number of a person.
v. It will have the same name, date of birth, gender, mobile number and address as in Aadhaar card.
vi. Once e-PAN is allotted to applicant through his electronic Aadhaar-based verification system in few
seconds, the applicant will be sent the PAN card by post.
About PAN Card:
12 | P a g e
♦ PAN is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued by the Income Tax Department of India in form of a
laminated tamper proof card. It was introduced to facilitates linking of various documents, including
payment of taxes, assessment, tax demand, tax arrears etc for tax detection and combating tax
evasion.
♦ It is unique to each and every individual or entity and is valid across India.
‘Happiness Curriculum’ for Delhi government schools launched by Delhi CM and Dalai Lama
On July 3, 2018, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the “Happiness Curriculum” for
students of nursery to Class 8 in government schools . The curriculum was launched in the presence of
the Dalai Lama.With an Objective to target modern day problems like terrorism, corruption and
pollution and solve them through human-centric education.
i. The new subject was designed and prepared by a team of 40 Delhi government teachers, educators
and volunteers over a period of six months.
ii. According to the curriculum, Students across schools can expect a ‘happiness’ period of 45
minutes. Each class will begin with a five-minute meditation .
iii. It would also include value education and mental exercises.
iv. It would be beneficial for 10 lakh students with the help of around 50,000 teachers.
‘POSHAN ABHIYAN’: special drive against malnutrition launched by Gujarat CM

On July 4, 2018, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched ‘Poshan Abhiyan’–a statewide mission
to eradicate malnutrition among children by providing them nutritious
food through Anganwadi centres.
i. The nationwide Poshan Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi from Rajasthan on March 8 this year.
ii. This mission would ensure that every newborn and mother get nutritious food for the first 1000
days of the birth.
iii. As many as 60 lakh beneficiaries would be covered across the state through a network
of 53,000 Anganwadi centres under this mission.
iv. The chief minister also launched ‘Purna’ project to eliminate malnutrition among girls in the age
group of 14 to 18.‘Purna’ stands for Prevention of Under Nutrition and Reduction of Nutritional
Anaemia among Adolescent Girls.
v. This mission will focus on children, girls and pregnant women of those districts that are still lagging
behind in nutrition parameters.Rs 270 crore to control malnutrition among those girls.
“cVIGIL” : app to enable citizens to report on violation of election code of conduct launched by
Election commission of India
On July 3, 2018, The Chief Election Commissioner Shri. O.P. Rawat, along with the Election
Commissioners Shri Sunil Arora and Shri Ashok Lavasalaunched a mobile app, called ‘cVIGIL’.With an
Objective to report any violation of the model code of conduct during elections.
i. The app requires an Android smartphone equipped with a camera, good internet connection and
GPS access. The operating system should beAndroid Jellybean and above. The application supports all
the latest Android smartphones.
ii. The report of violations of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that comes into effect from the date of
announcement of elections and goes on till a day after the polls.
iii. To prevent misuse the app will not allow uploading of the pre-recorded or old images and videos
iv. The app will not facilitate saving of the photos or videos recorded using the ‘cVIGIL’ app into the
phone gallery either.
v. It will be active only in States where elections have been announced. The moment a citizen exits an
election-bound State, the app will become inactive.
Use:
i. The application will be made available for general use by all, right from the forthcoming Assembly
13 | P a g e
elections in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan.

ii. Thus, it will also serve as a pilot initiative before the next Lok Sabha General Elections.
Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS) and ‘Khan Prahari’ App launched by
Shri Piyush Goyal
On July 5, 2018, Union Minister of Coal, Railways, Finance & Corporate Affairs, Shri Piyush
Goyal launched the Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS) and Mobile
Application ‘Khan Prahari’ on Swami Vivekananda’s death anniversary in New Delhi to pay tribute to
integrity.With an Objective to curb illegal mining in the country.
i. It was developed by CMPDI, Ranchi a Subsidiary of CIL and Bhaskarcharya Institute of Space
Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG).
ii. The uniqueness of the system is that it uses satellite data as well as public input to capture
information of illegal coal activities.
iii. The CMSMS is a web based GIS application through which location of sites for unauthorised mining
can be detected.
iv. The platform used in the system is of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology’s (MeiTY)
map which provides village level information. The boundary of all the coal mines are displayed on this
map.
v. The system will use satellite data to detect changes by which unauthorised mining activity can be
detected.
vi. The complaint originating from coal mines allotted to Coal India will go to Coal India Offices and
those originating from coal blocks not allotted to Coal India will go straight to the State Government
Officers.
vii. For each complaint the alert will also go to the District Magistrate and SP of the district.
viii. The CMSMS will also provide other important information like reclamation work being done by
Coal India Limited which is being monitored every year by CMPDI using satellite data. Status of
Environmental Clearances /Forest Clearances etc. are also linked for information in this system.
ix. Khan Prahari is a tool for reporting any activity taking place related to illegal coal mining like rat
hole mining, pilferage etc.
x. Geo-tagged photographs of the incident along with textual information can be directly uploaded to
the system.
xi. Once reported, the information will be automatically directed to the nodal officers.
Process to empanel hospitals under Ayushman Bharat launched by National Health

Agency(NHA)
On July 5, 2018, The National Health Agency (NHA), the apex body for implementation of the Centre’s
ambitious Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Scheme, has launched a formal process to
empanel public and private hospitals to achieve universal health coverage.With an Objective to
improve access and provide better healthcare for the most vulnerable and unreached sections of the
population.
i. The State Health Agencies (SHA) through State Empanelment Committees (SEC) will start
empaneling private and public health care service providers and facilities in States and UTs.
ii. At the ground level, district, sub-district and block level workshops will be held to brief details of
empanelment criteria, packages, processes and address any queries.
iii. Thereafter, hospitals interested to get empaneled can do so by visiting the web
portal, www.abnhpm.gov.in where complete details of the process can be accessed.
iv. If the applicants meet the essential criteria , the State Health Agencies shall ensure empanelment.
v. Specific criteria are outlined for cardiology and cardio-thoracic vascular services, cancer care,
Neurosurgery, Burns, Plastic & Reconstructive surgery, Neonatal/Paediatric Surgery, Polytrauma,
Nephrology and Urology Surgery.
About Ayushman Bharat:
♦ AB-NHPM has been designed to provide financial protection and prevent health care expenditures to
14 | P a g e
over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families and provide a cover for cashless hospitalization
services of upto INR 5 lakh per family per year.
♦ Dy. CEO: Dr.Dinesh Arora.
♦ CEO: Indu Bhushan (the Director General of East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Minister of State for Culture (I/c) Dr. Mahesh Shrama Inaugurates exhibition titled “Arth – art
for earth” at IGNCA, New Delhi
On 5th July 2018, Union Minister of State for Culture (I/c), Dr. Mahesh Shrama, inaugurated an
exhibition named “Arth – art for earth” at IGNCA, New Delhi.
i. ‘Arth – Art For Earth’ by Manav Gupta comprises “Excavations in Hymns of Clay”. It is a suite of
environmental art installations created by Manav Gupta with a storyline and poetry.
ii. Manav Gupta has used Indian potter’s produce of clay objects like the earthen lamps (diyas), local
cigar (chilam), earthen cups (kullar) etc. The exhibition will be available for public view till
22nd October 2018.
Diarrhoea control campaign to be launched on July 15 to 30,2018 by Haryana Health Dept.

On July 6, 2018, The Haryana Health Department announced the launch of an intensive diarrhoea
control campaign from July 15 to 30.
i.The decision was taken at a steering committee meeting of different state departments under the
chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Health Department, Raja Sekhar Vundru.
ii.Managing Director, National Health Mission, Haryana, Amneet P Kumar, Director of General Health
Services, Dr Satish Agarwal, and several other senior officers of various departments.
iii. Under this scheme, ORS and zinc packets would be distributed to about 26.5 lakh children below
five years of age across the state.
iv. High risk areas such as construction sites, slums and far flung areas are the focus areas.
v. A special inspection and monitoring plan would be framed for the campaign’s success.
vi. Officers of Panchayati Raj institutions, Women and Child Development and Education and Public
Health Engineering are involved in the campaign.
‘GST Verify ‘App launched for protection of consumers from fraud by Central Board of Indirect
Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
On July 5, 2018, The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has developed a mobile
app ‘GST Verify’ to protect interest of consumers.
i. has been developed by B Raghu Kiran joint commissioner GST Hyderabad and is operational all
across the country.
ii. Through this app the person collecting GST from consumers can be verified.
iii. It also provides the details of the person/ company collecting GST.
iv. Additionally, CBIC announced that a Composition Tax Payer should not collect the tax from his
consumer.
15 | P a g e
First Cyber Forensic van of Delhi Police launched by Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir
On July 7, 2018, The Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir launched the first
Cyber Forensic van of Delhi Police and an online cyber crime portal where people can file complaint
online regarding such crimes . This was announced at the “Cyber Safety and Digital awareness
programme for senior citizens” organized by Delhi Police.
i.Objective of this launch is to make citizens are more aware and responsible while making digital
transactions especially senior citizens.
ii. The Van has been developed keeping in mind the need for a portable/mobile system in view of
increasing number of digital crimes. It will be available on call in all districts/units on 24×7 basis.It
will be used for on-the-spot police investigations at crime scene.
iii. It was also announced that the Ministry has earmarked Rs 25,000 crore for Police modernization
and to deal with increasing rate of cyber crime in the country.
iv. Delhi Police has established Cyber Cells in 14 districts of Delhi working under the command of a
Special Cyber Unit at Headquarter level. 800 Police officers have already been trained specially to
deal with cyber crimes.About 2,500 senior citizens participated in the programme.
Ministry of Home Affairs:
♦ Union Minister: Rajnath Singh.
♦ Minster of State: Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Kiren Rijiju.
♦ Nickname of Delhi: City of Rallies.
♦ Unesco Heritage Sites of Delhi: Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Red Fort
Highest ever 06 Limited Height Subways (LHS) between two stations in Sambalpur Division
launched by the East Coast Railways in one day sets record
On July 5, 2018, East Coast Railway launches highest ever 6 (six) Limited Height
Subways (LHS) in Sambalpur Division and completed it in a single block of four and half hours .With
an Objective to eliminate all unmanned Level Crossing Gates over Sambalpur Division.
i. It is a first of its kind not only in East Coast Railway, but also in the entire Indian Railways.
ii. Due to this seven unmanned Level Crossing gates will be totally closed in Bhawanipatna-Lanjigarh
Road Section of Kalahandi area of Odisha.
Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CoE-DSAI) launched by
Government of Karnataka and NASSCOM in Bengaluru
On July 5, 2018, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) launched
a Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CoE – DSAI) in collaboration with
the Government of Karnataka, in Bengaluru.
i. NASSCOM also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NITI Aayog to collaborate in areas
of applied research, accelerating adoption and ethics, privacy and security.
ii.The centre was inaugurated by KJ George, Minister for Large & Medium Scale Industries, IT & BT,
Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, in the presence of Gaurav Gupta, Principal Secretary,
IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka; Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India and VP, Data Center
Group, Intel; Nipun Mehrotra, CDO for India/South Asia, IBM; along with Debjani Ghosh, President,
NASSCOM and Rishad Premji, Chairman, NASSCOM.
iii.Objective is to strengthen the country’s AI ecosystem and will serve as a platform for intelligence-
sharing
iv. The Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence will create a platform wherein
stakeholders ranging from industry to academia can co-create digital solutions for Industry 4.0.
v. NASSCOM will facilitate collaboration between NITI Aayog and CoEs and will include NITI Aayog as
a knowledge partner.
vi. NASSCOM has partnered with Intel and IBM as its founding members and technology advisors for
augmenting and accelerating the Data Science & Artificial Intelligence ecosystem in the country.
v. FutureSkills, NASSCOM and Niti Aayog will join hands to innovate and cultivate skilling in India.
16 | P a g e
Gorakhpur launches ‘Stop JE/AES’ mobile app to check encephalitis

On 6th July 2018, the Gorakhpur administration in Uttar Pradesh launched an android based smart
phone application named ‘Stop JE/AES’ to combat encephalitis.
i. Encephalitis claims the lives of hundreds of children every year in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh.
ii. The ‘Stop JE/AES’ app enables users to avail immediate medical help by just pressing a button. This
app was launched by Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar and DM Vijyendra Pandian.
iii. This app is available on Google Play Store. It could be used on any smart phone even without
internet. This app aims to provide timely medical assistance to people in remote areas.
iv. By pressing the help button in the app, an alert will be sent to the control room. Then they would
call back on the number to collect the details about the patient.
v. As a first response, auxiliary mid wives (ANMs) will reach out to help the patient who will be taken
to a nearby community health centre (CHC)/ primary health centre (PHC) or hospital through 102 or
108 ambulance services.
vi. For encephalitis patients, the first 48 hours is very crucial. Using this app, the patient can be taken
to hospital without any delay.
vii.Also, during treatment, automatic alerts will be sent to the CMO’s (chief medical officer) office.
Hence, concerned health officials can help the patient.
viii.The app will be launched in all affected districts if it is successful in Gorakhpur.A software
called Rashtriya Bal Suraksha Karyakaram (RBSK) that will display details of children referred to the
CHCs/PHCs and hospitals on CMS portal was also launched on the occasion.
5 Initiatives Launched Under AMRUT And Smart Cities Mission By The Minister Of State (I/C) Of
Housing And Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri
On July 9, 2018, Sh. Hardeep S Puri, MoS(I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced the
launch of the Smart cities digital payment award and other initiatives under AMRUT and Smart City
mission.
It is intended to promote ‘Digital India’ and ease of living for India’s urban residents by promoting
digital payments and encouraging Smart Cities to adopt innovative digital payments initiatives.Sh.
Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing Affairs and other senior officials of the ministry
were also present on the occasion
i.Objective is Smart cities fellowship and internship program will provide the youth an opportunity to
experience the aspects of Urban planning and governance.
ii.Sh. Puri launched several new initiatives under AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission. They are:India
Smart Cities Fellowship (ISCF) Program, India Smart Cities Internship (ISCI) Program and The Smart
Cities Digital Payments Awards 2018 and the ‘CITIIS’ challenge under the Smart Cities Mission and
the Local Area Plan (LAP)/Town Planning Scheme (TPS) to be implemented in 25 cities on pilot basis
under AMRUT.
About India Smart Cities Fellowship (ISCF) Program
 The India Smart Cities Fellowship Program is designed to provide valuable experience to the
youth interested in smart cities .
 This program will cultivate young leaders, strengthen their understanding of Indian urban
sector and prepare them for greater leadership roles in future.
 MoHUA will engage 30 young graduates/post graduates and PhDs in the fields of Urban
Planning, Urban Design, Engineering, Information and Technology, Urban Mobility, Finance,
Social Sector, and Environmental issues as Smart Cities Fellows.
 The period of engagement is 1-year extendable upto 3 years.
 They will work in terms of analytics, research, documentation, independent assessment,
visualization or any other related activities including preparation of reports, posters, dossiers,
etc.
 Interested applicants may apply online through Smart Net till 31 August 2018.
About India Smart Cities Internship (ISCI) Program
17 | P a g e
 MoHUA will engage students pursuing Under Graduate/Graduate/Post Graduate degree as

Interns to help implementation of Smart City Projects in various States/Cities.
 This will be on unpaid basis for a period of 6 to 12 weeks. They will be given an Experience
Certificate at the end successful completion of the program.
 ISCI program will focus on areas like: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Engineering, Information
and Technology, Urban Mobility, Finance, Social Sector, and Environmental issues.
 Their role primarily would be in implementation /reporting /evaluation and monitoring
/knowledge management/stakeholder engagement/ media outreach and other similar
activities as assigned to them by the Mission Director (SCM).
The Smart Cities Digital Payments Awards 2018
 The Smart Cities Digital Payments Awards (SCDPA) 2018 ‘100 days Challenge in 100 Smart
Cities’ is part of the initiatives of MoHUA to promote ease of living for India’s urban residents.
 The objective of these awards is to guide, motivate, recognize and reward the Smart Cities for
promoting digital payments.
 The challenge period would be 100 days starting from the launch of the awards.
 The awards will be conferred based on a 2-stage process. Evaluation Committee(s) chaired
by Secretary, MoHUA will be the jury.
 For evaluation purpose, the Smart Cities will be divided into 4 different categories based on
their population in millions. Three awards will be conferred in each of the four categories.
Hence, a total of 12 awards will be conferred as part of this program.
The Categories are:
Category Population in millions
1 <5 lacs
2 5-10 lacs
3 1-4
4 4+
The Three Awards per category are:
Best digital payments adopter
Best digital payments innovator
Fastest growing Smart City focusing on digital payments
About Cities Investment To Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) Challenge
 Under the Indo-French partnership program, at least 15 projects would be selected through an
All-India Challenge. The projects would be in four sectors- Sustainable Mobility, Public Open
Spaces, Urban governance & ICT and Social and Organizational Innovation in low-income
settlements. The duration of the program will be three years (FY2018-19 to FY2020- 21).
 A Loan of EUR 100 million would be extended by AFD to selected CITIIS projects in the form of
grant.
 Each awarded CITIIS project will benefit from a grant ranging from INR 20 Cr. to INR 80 Cr
(max project outlay: 160 crore).
 The CITIIS grant is expected to cover from minimum 50% up to 80% of the project cost subject
to a maximum of INR 80 Cr. and additional funding amounting to least 20% to be secured by
the awarded cities through its own resources.
 In addition, EUR 6 million would be given as grant to be shared between the SPVs of the Smart
Cities, State Governments and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for capacity building
activities.
About LOCAL AREA PLAN (LAP) & TOWN PLANNING SCHEME (TPS)
The Local Area Plan (LAP) and Town Planning Scheme (TPS) has been formulated under the AMRUT
to enable planning for developing infrastructure in the Brownfield areas (those parts of the city that
are already developed but not able to sustain the pressure on the existing infrastructure) & the
Greenfield areas (periphery of the city that is prone to haphazard growth and development),
respectively.
18 | P a g e
i.They will be implemented in 25 selected cities on pilot basis.The existing areas or Brownfield areas
can be redeveloped by preparing Local Area based Plans (LAP). While at the same time, the Town
Planning Schemes (TPS) can be implemented for planned urban expansion in the peripheral
Greenfield areas.
ii.An amount of Rs. 50 crore would be provided as Central assistance at Rs 2.00 crore per city for
identified 25 cities for preparing LAP/TPS. The Central Assistance shall be released in 3
installments; 20% with submission of preliminary proposal, 40% during submission of draft plan and
remaining 40% during submission of final plan.
iii.The exercise of preparing Local Area Plan and Town Planning Scheme is expected to be completed
in a period of one year.Town and Country Planning Organization (TCPO) will provide handholding
support to the state nodal agency.
The 25 cities are:Greater
Visakhapatnam,Guwahati,Vadodara,Indore,Chennai,Bengaluru,Thiruvananthapuram,
Warangal, Pune, Varanasi, Jaipur, Amritsar, Patna, Faridabad, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Raipur, Panaji
, Shimla, New Kolkata, Srinagar, Dehradun, Aizawl, Gangtok, Imphal
First-ever metal craft exhibition inaugurated in Leh

On July 11, 2018, the first-ever metal craft exhibition was held in Chilling village, Leh.With
an Objective to promote and preserve the metal craft tradition of Ladakh.
i. It was organised by the Youth Association for Conservation and Development Hemis High
Altitude National Park, in collaboration with Heritage Home Chilling, showcasing the
indigenous craft to the visitors.
ii. The exhibition of this 400-year-old craft will remain open for the next two months.
iii. Chilling is known for its metal craftwork, which began decades ago and it is considered to be its
identity.
iv.This event would encourage and involve young generations in the village to continue this craft.
v. The exhibition, therefore, aims to dissolve the reluctance of the youth towards this age-old craft.
PM inaugurates ‘Dharohar Bhawan’ the new Headquarters of Archaeological Survey of India in

New Delhi
On 12th July 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Dharohar Bhawan’, the new
Headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at 24, Tilak Marg in New Delhi.
i. Minister of State for Culture(I/c) Dr. Mahesh Sharma praised ASI that takes care of nearly 3686
monuments in India.
ii. It also provides conservation services in countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cambodia.
iii. He said that, in recent times 40 antiquities from Foreign countries have been retrieved and efforts
to bring back 8 to 9 more antiquities are in process.
iv. The new Headquarters building has advanced facilities like energy efficient lighting and rainwater
harvesting.
v. It has a Central Archaeological Library with a collection of nearly 1.5 lakh books and journals.
vi. The library will be a treasure for people who perform research work in Archaeology, Religious and
Cultural perspective of India, India’s ancient past and related subjects.
vii. The Library has Authentic records related to Archaeology, like ASI reports, etc., Diary of Alexander
Cunningham(founder of ASI), John Marshall, etc.
viii. The Library has Original collection of religious books and books on cultural heritage of India, like
the sacred books on the Hindus, Manusmiti, Kautilya’s Athasastra, etc.
ix.It also has original, specific and holistic collection on places of India, like Kalhan’s Rajtarangini, on
Kashmir, History of Gujarat, etc. are also available.
x. Also, original and rare books on inscriptions, like Kharosti, Brahmi etc. and collection of Tibetan
manuscripts (rare) are also available.Rare portfolios related to Ajanta, Ellora and other sites of
archaeological importance, collection of books on Archaeology, Epigraphy, Indology, Indian culture
19 | P a g e
and its past, etc. are also present.
“Jal Bachao, Video Banao, Puruskar Pao” fortnightly Contest launched on Water Conservation:
Ministry of Water Resources
On July 12, 2018, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has
launched a video contest titled “Jal Bachao, Video Banao, Puruskar Pao”.It is a fortnightly contest that
will run till 4th November 2018.With an Objective to engage with the people of India on the important
issues of water conservation and water management.
i. This contest will be run by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation in collaboration with MyGov portal of Government of India.
ii. In this contest, 3 winners will be chosen every fortnight.
iii. Any Indian citizen can upload their video entries on YouTube and enter the publicly accessible link
on the Video link section of MyGov contest page www.mygov.in.
iv. The duration of the videos should be minimum 2 minutes and up to 10 minutes in Hindi, English or
any other regional language and must not violate any provision of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 or
the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party.
v. The parameters of judgement are on the basis of elements of creativity, originality, composition,
technical excellence, artistic merit, quality of video, content and visual impact.
vi. The prize amount is Rs 25,000/-, Rs 15,000/- and Rs 10,000/- for first, second and third positions
respectively.
vii. This way the people of India will make and upload videos capturing the efforts, significant
contributions, best practices in the field of Water Conservation, Optimum Water Utilization and Water
Resource Development and Management in different parts of the country including any innovative
advertisement/commercial on Water Conservation.
Technology Challenge Launched for Promoting Suitable Techniques for Cleaning of Sewers and
Septic Tanks
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a technology challenge with an aim to
eliminate human entry into septic tanks and drains for cleaning, seeking suitable solutions from
individuals and NGOs.
i. The challenge will be a part of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention that will be
held on 2nd October 2018.
ii. Proposals have been invited by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs from innovators,
companies, academic institutions, research and development centers, NGOs and municipal bodies.
iii. Innovative technical solutions to eliminate the need for human entry into sewers are invited. The
challenge aims to identify solutions and promote suitable techniques for cleaning of sewerage
systems.
First phase of Anna Canteens launched in Andhra Pradesh by CM N Chandrababu Naidu

On July 12, 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated a canteen in
Vijayawada to mark the launch of much-awaited‘Anna Canteens’ in various parts of the state .
i. Total 60 ‘Anna Canteens’ were opened in the first phase across the state.
ii. These canteens are run by The Akshaya Patra Foundation in collaboration with the Municipal
Administration and Civil Supplies Departments.
iii.As per contribution, Rs.6 lakhs has already been offered by officials and bureaucrats.
iv.The second phase of the project will have additional 143 canteens which will be opened by August
15.
v.It is named after TDP founder-president NT Rama Rao.The first canteen was opened on a pilot basis
close to the Government Transitional Headquarters in Amravati on March 2016.
vi. In the Anna Canteen the breakfast, lunch and dinner would be offered at Rs 5 each.The canteens
will also have CCTV cameras. Thus, any person entering will have his finger print or iris captured for
facial recognition preventing frauds.
20 | P a g e
vii. Each canteen is expected to serve at least 350 plates for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The capacity
can be extended to 500 plates.
Botanical garden in Kothaguda reserve forest inaugurated in Telangana

On 13th July 2018, the Botanical Garden in Kothaguda reserve forest was re-launched after renovation.
It was inaugurated by Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao.
i. The Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC) made improvements in the park at a
cost of Rs 5 crore, as per the directions of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
ii. Total area of the reserve forest is 274 acres. Development activities were carried out in 12 acres of
the visitors’ zone.
iii. The improvements were done in Nakshatra Vanam, Rasi Vanam and Navagraha Vanam, herbal and
medicinal garden with 60 species, butterfly park, rose garden and cactus garden.
iv. An interpretation centre, an environmental education centre, and audio visual room have been
developed for creating environmental awareness among students, employees, and children.
v. Fibre murals of wild animals have been made. An indoor gym with modern equipment, an open
gym, an open Yoga platform, and meditation centre have been developed.
vi. Also, a three-km walking path in the conservation zone of the park has been made. Children’s
arena, gazebos, food court, toilets, drinking water, sewage treatment plant, resting accommodation,
and boating are other facilities have been created.
vii. A grid-connected solar power plant of 30 KW capacity has been developed. Fee for entry to the
park will be Rs 25 per head for adults and Rs 10 for children.
Railways launched its first consolidated Bridge Management System

On July 13, 2018, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched its first consolidated Bridge Management
System (IR-BMS), a web-enabled IT application to store data on 1.5 lakh bridges.
i.The web-based platform will show the bridge master data, works data, information regarding
inspection/monitoring and maintenance of the bridges and other essentials.
ii. Goyal felicitated the artists who participated in this initiative by giving them cash awards and
appreciation certificates.
iii. He also felicitated artists who won the top prize in the national transporter’s in-house Station
Beautification Contest. They worked for 7 railway stations.
iv. This innovative competition was organized among zonal railways in December 2017.
v. More than 62 stations across zonal railways were beautified under this initiative by utilising skills
of local artists, mostly using local art form, painting style, local themes or contemporary arts.
vi. The entries were evaluated on the basis of : depiction of local subjects, culture, themes, overall
harmony of art with the station colours, type of art form used, and quality of work done.
vii. The prize winning entries were awarded cash rewards Rs 10 lakh for the first prize, Rs 5 lakh for
the second prize and Rs 3 lakh for the third prize.
The winners were:
Position Winners Zone
1st Balharshah railway station (Maharashtra) Central Railway
Chandrapur railway station (Maharashtra)
2 nd Madhubani Railway Station (Bihar) Eastern Railway
Madurai Railway Station (Tamil Nadu) Southern Railway
3 rd Gandhidham Station (Gujrat) Western Railway
Kota Station (Rajasthan) West Central Railway
Secunderabad Satation (Telangana) South Central Railway
Swachh Survekshan Grameen, 2018: a nationwide survey of rural India launched by the
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
On July 14, 2018, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Shri Parameswaran
21 | P a g e
Iyer, launched ‘Swachh Survekshan Grameen’ 2018, a survey of rural cleanliness programme, to rank
all districts and states on the basis of qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
i. Top performing states and districts will be awarded on October 2.
ii. An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts from 1st to 31st August 2018.
iii.With an Objective to undertake a ranking of states and districts on the basis of their performance
attained on key quantitative and qualitative SBM-G parameters.
iv. The ranking will be based on set of cleanliness parameters, survey of public places, citizens’
perception of “swachhta” (cleanliness) and their recommendations for the improvement of the
programme, and data from the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ in rural areas.
v. It will be based on district level surveys of public places like schools, anganwadis, haat-bazaars,
panchayat and citizen’s perception of ‘Swachhta’.
vi. The Swachh Survekshan Gramin plan will cover, 6,800 villages in 680 districts across the country
and 34,000 public places.
vii. Around 54,000 citizens will be interviewed for their feedback on Swachh Bharat Mission.
viii. The ranking would be done giving 65% weightage to outcome from the survey and 35% to
the service level parameters to be obtained from the IMIS of the ministry.
Multimedia exhibition organised by Regional Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information

and Broadcasting (MIB) inaugurated by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
On July 13,2018, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated a multimedia exhibition organised
by Regional Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in Puri, Odisha.
i. This would be an exhibition showcasing all the schemes launched in 48 months (4 years) by PM
Narendra Modi.
ii. The exhibition is taking place at Saradhabali near Bholanath Vidyapith in Puri.
69th Van Mahotsava inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Governor

On July 13,2018, Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Dev Vrat inaugurated 69th Van
Mahotsava celebrations at Ganevag (Nehra) near Shimla.
i. This campaign has been jointly organized by the forest department and State Red Cross Society,
Shimla.
ii. Under this campaign, over 5000 saplings were planted. The Governor planted saplings of Deodar on
the occasion.
iii. It was announced that every citizen should plant saplings on special occasions like birthdays and
anniversaries.
OPPI launched ThinkforHealth digital campaign in collaboration with Government of

Telangana
On July 13,2018, Industry body Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) launched
a digital campaign, ThinkForHealth, calling for ideas to improve access to healthcare in india.
i. The initiative has been launched with partnership of Telangana government.
ii. This will provide a platform for young minds and social and health-tech entrepreneurs to share
their ideas on the topics mentioned and 3 winners would be chosen and their ideas would be heard.
iii. Through this initiative Telangana govt intends to make Hyderabad a bio-pharmaceutical
innovation hub under Make in India campaign.
About Make in India Campaign:
Make in India, a type of Swadeshi movement covering 25 sectors of the economy, was launched by the
Government of India on 25 September 2014 to encourage companies to manufacture their products in
India and also increase their investment.
Goa CM inaugurates Goa IT Day celebrations

On July 14 2018 ,Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Goa IT Day celebrations
22 | P a g e
in Panaji,Goa.Goa CM has showed his gratitude that Goa became an IT destination and it will create
path to large number of graduates who searching opportunities out of state.
Peters’ Inn- India’s 1st AC dormitory launched by Kochi Metro Rail Limited
On July 13, 2018, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) launched India’s first exquisite air-conditioned
bed space dormitory-Peters Inn.
i. It was inaugurated by Kochi’s Mayor Soumini Jain.It has 200 bed air-conditioned cabins with 40
toilets.
ii. The fully air-conditioned rooms are equipped with locker facility, free WiFi, round-the-clock check-
in and check-out facility and security cameras.
iii. The daily rent for the bed space is Rs.395.KMRL has allotted 3,500 square feet of space to set up
the MG Road facility.
iv. KMRL has also set up a separate facility for ladies with closed rooms where every bed space will
also have a locker facility to keep their valuable items.
World’s first and cheapest clean drinking water project launched in Darbhanga , Bihar
On July 15, 2018, The first of world’s cheapest drinking water project was launched in Darbhanga
district, Bihar.
i. This was launched by Sulabh International, an organisation that introduced the concept of ‘Sulabh
Sauchalya’ in the country.
ii. The foundation of the project at Haribol pond in Darbhanga Nagar Nigam premises was laid by
Sulabh International’s founder Dr.Bindeshwar Pathak.
iii. It would be managed by Self Help group of Darbhanga Nagar Nigam.
iv. The ‘Sulabh Jal’ project converts contaminated pond and river water into safe drinking water.
v. The water purification process has a capacity to purify 8,000 litres of water per day at nominal cost.
vi. The cost of the project is around Rs 20 lakhs.With this people will get pure and clean water only
in 50paisa/litre.
‘I am not afraid of English’ campaign launched in schools by Haryana Education Department

On July 15, 2018, The Haryana Education Department launched ‘I am not afraid of English’ initiative
from Class 1 in the state’s primary schools.
i.The initiative is aimed at capacity building of teachers to enable them to help the students to learn,
read, write and speak English
ii. A booklet containing 1,000 sentences/phrases (200 sentences per grade for all the five grades )has
been prepared at the primary level of schooling.
iii. One JBT (junior basic teacher) and one BRP (Block Resource Person) per block has been
trained.Students learn one sentence every day (minimum 20 per month for 10 months) in each class.
iv. Six language labs have been established in selected model Sanskriti schools in the state to improve
listening and speaking skills.
v. Additionally, 238 more government schools are going to be covered under this initiative during the
year 2018-19.
Haryana government launched ‘Paudhagiri’ campaign to increase green cover

On July 16, 2018, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched a campaign
called ‘Paudhagiri’.
i. About 3,100 students participated in the movement.The aim is to increase the green cover of the
state.
ii. This scheme was initiated by the CM planting a sapling of ‘maulsari’ in the premises of Tau Devi Lal
sports complex in Gurgaon.
iii. Under this scheme, 22 lakh students of government and private schools from class 6 to 12 would
plant saplings for the(monsoon) months of July , August and September.
iv. He/She will have to post a selfie with the growing sapling to receive Rs.50 every
23 | P a g e
6 months.Thus the student will get Rs 300 in the next three years for looking after a sapling.
Vaccination drive against measles-rubella launched by Gujarat govt with Rs.300 crore help
from Centre
On July 16, 2018, The Gujarat government launched a measles-rubella vaccination drive with the help
of Centre’s Rs.300 crore financial assistance.
i. This campaign is aimed at protecting children from measles and rubella .
ii. It would last for 5-6 weeks vaccinating 1.6 crore children between the age of nine months to 15
years.
iii. It would be carried out in all government hospitals and 106 mobile vans were dispatched to reach
the remotest sections of the state.
iv. In Vadodara district alone, 4 lakh children would be vaccinated in 1,827 in schools, aganwadis and
hospitals.
v. The campaign is being promoted by former Test crickter Irfan Pathan.
Chhattisgarh: CM Raman Singh launches online pension system ‘Aabhar-Aapki seva ka’
On July 19, 2018, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh launched an online portal and mobile app
called ‘Aabhaar-Aapki seva ka’ for the online pensioners of the state.
i. This would be implemented by Online Pension Management System.
ii. 80,000 pensioners would get information related to pension through the app and portal.
iii. Pensioners will get the benefit of senior pension with the State government’s 7th pay scale before
January 1, 2016.
iv. According to which an increased Basic Pension of 2.57 per cent would be received by them.
v. This online management system has been prepared by the Department of Finance for the
pensioners by the Directorate of Funds, Accounts and Pension.
vi. This will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 500 crore on the State Government.
vii. Additionally, the Gratuity of officers-employees had been hiked from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
Govt launched a new technology called the MicroDot technology to check vehicle thefts
On July 18, 2018, Government has announced the launch of a new MicroDot Technology that would
help check on vehicle thefts.
i. Under this thousands of small dots laser etched will be sprayed with a vehicle identification number
on all over the vehicle’s body including its engine.
ii. This technology is yet to be finalized by the highest automobile technical standard making body
CMVR-TSC.
iii. Delhi Police officials has been associated with this project as per transport ministry’s order.
iv. 2.14 lakh vehicles are stolen across India annually.Delhi tops the list with 38,644 in 2016 which is
100 on a daily basis.
v. The state of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra follows the list with 34,480 and 22,435 number of
vehicles, respectively.
vi. 41,000 vehicles were stolen in 2017 that is 30 vehicles a month.The auto-lifters take out the
engines along with the other valuable parts and thereafter, they destroy the vehicle. Thus, most of the
vehicles stolen go untraced.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launches e-Pragati core platform
On 19th July 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched ‘e-Pragati core
platform’ at Undavalli, Andhra Pradesh.
i. e-Pragati is a forward-looking digital initiative. It aims to connect citizens to 34 departments, 336
autonomous organisations and 745-plus services.
ii. Andhra Pradesh aims to realise the vision of ‘Sunrise AP 2022’ through this project.
iii. The e-Pragati authority will achieve the goals of the project by supporting the 7 development
missions launched in the areas of e-Governance, Social Empowerment, Skill Development, Urban
24 | P a g e
Development, Infrastructure, Industrial Development and the Services sector.

iv. N. Chandrababu Naidu said that, e-Pragati will act as a platform to connect all departments and
stand alone to resolve the issues.
v. He said that, there should be coordination between citizens and the government to solve various
issues.
vi. IT Minister Nara Lokesh said that, certificate-less admissions have been introduced in Andhra
Pradesh. Issue of driving licences have also been made online.
vii .CEO of e-Pragati is N. Balasubrahmanyam. EY (erstwhile Ernst & Young) had played a major role
in enabling the project.
viii. project was initially estimated to cost RS 1,500 crore. Later it was reduced to Rs 800 crore.
ix. Nearly 180-plus certificates, licences & permits will be available online. 100 plus mobile apps will
be listed on App Store.
Student Police Cadet Programme launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh
On July 21, 2018, the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh launched The Student Police Cadet
(SPC) Programme nationally.With an Objective to instill values and ethics to students through classes
in schools and outside.
i. Total cost of the programme is Rs.67 crore where each school will be handed Rs.50,000 for
educational aids, training and contingency.
ii. The programme focuses on students of class 8 & 9.It covers two kinds of topic: Crime prevention
and control and Values and ethics.
iii. Under Crime prevention and control key areas are: Community Policing, Road Safety, Fight against
Social Evils, Safety of Women & Children, Fight against Corruption and Disaster Management.
iv. Under Values and ethics the key areas are: Values & Ethics, Respect for Elders, Empathy &
Sympathy, Tolerance, Patience, Attitude, Team Spirit and Discipline.
v. A Handbook has been prepared by BPR&D for imparting instructions with the support of NCERT.
Implementation of the Programme:
i. There will be demonstrations through visits to: Women Police stations, Child Protection Homes
including NGOs, Traffic Police and Fire Brigade Stations along with learning through group
discussions, audio-visual mediums etc.
ii. In the State level , a state committee it will be headed by the Principal Secretary, Home Department
with the Principal Secretary, Education and Director General of Police as members.
iii. In District Level, a similar committee will be led by District Magistrate with the District Inspector
of Schools and Superintendent of Police as members.
iv. The Programme shall be at first implemented in Government schools in both urban and rural areas.
Headquarters of Organizations:
Organization Place
United Nations New York, USA
UN Environment Programme Nairobi, Kenya
UNESCO Paris, France
UNICEF New York, USA.
World Trade Organization (WTO) Geneva, Switzerland.
System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR): First of its kind 24×7 air qualityindex
inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan at Chandi Chowk
On July 22, 2018, Science& Technology, Earth Sciences; Environment, Forest & Climate Change
Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated first of its kind Air Quality and Weather Forecast System–
SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting) at Chandni Chowk in Delhi.It will give out
real-time air quality index on 24×7 basis with colour coding along with 72-hour advance forecast.
i. It is a giant true color LED display that gives out real-time air quality index on a daily basis.
ii. It has been developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and
operationalized by India Meteorological Department (IMD).
25 | P a g e
iii. It will be an integral part of India’s first Air Quality Early Warning System.
iv. It will be implemented in four cities of India – Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad as an
operational service.
v. Implementing it in the right way (even by 5% of citizens ) would save nearly Rs. 2,500 crores in
terms of health-related cost.
vi. It would also benefit cost savings to several other sectors like agriculture, aviation, infrastructure,
disaster management skill, tourism and many others.
Regional Rail Training Institute inaugurated at Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh

On 22nd July 2018, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha inaugurated Regional Rail Training
Institute (RRTI) in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.
i. The Rail Training Institute (RRTI) was inaugurated with an aim to strengthen the expertise and
capabilities of the employees of North-Eastern Railways.
ii. He also inaugurated the newly constructed washing pit at Ghazipur City station.
iii. Manoj Sinha said that, the RRTI was constructed within stipulated time. It will highly boost the
development of the area.
iv. RRTI was built at a the cost of Rs 21 crore. It has modern training facilities, an advanced model
hostel, computer room, cafeteria and other necessary facilities.
v. He said that, the 400 metre washing pit was built at a cost of Rs 19.62 crore.He added that, doubling
of railway tracks, their electrification and other passengers amenities are developed in the area on
priority basis.
vi. He also mentioned about the status of the projects of Tadighat to Mau via Ghazipur rail route,
doubling of Chapra-Allahabad, Bhatni-Aurihar, Aurihar-Jaunpur, Indara-Phephna and Mau-Shahganj
rail routes.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates National Traders’ Conclave in New Delhi
On 23rd July 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the three day National Traders’
Conclave at Constitution Club of India, in New Delhi.
i. National Traders’ Conclave is organised by the Confederation of All-India Traders.He said that, in the
next two-three years India’s economy will be among the top five. Also, by 2030 India would enter the
world’s Top Three economies.
ii. He said that, India is the most attractive destination for foreign investors and received more than
$150 billion FDI in last four years.
iii. In ‘Ease of Doing Business’, India’s ranking has improved from 142 to 100. In 2014, there were
only two mobile phone factories in India. Now we have 120 handset manufacturing units.
iv. He mentioned the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Goods & Services Tax (GST), amendment to the
Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code and the historic Demonetization, and said India’s GDP growth rate in
the last 4 years has outpaced the inflation rate every year since 2014.
v. He said that the GST rates have been modified on several items recently. Many items have been
brought under 0 % and 5% slabs.
vi. He added that, the Government is open to further review of GST slabs.
vii. He said that, out of 6.5 crore traders and shopkeepers, nearly 1.25 crores have registered under
the GST.
#Childline1098’ Contest- ‘Spot the Logo and Suggest a Tagline’ launched by Ministry of Women
and Child Development
On July 24, 2018, To mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, The Ministry of
Women and Child Development launched a contest named – “ #Childline1098”.
i. To invite people to share images of the Childline 1098 logo that they can spot and send it with a
tagline.
ii. This is a part of the steps taken to address trafficking and sexual abuse of children.
iii. Ministry signed an MoU with the Ministry of Railways to rescue and rehabilitate runaway,
26 | P a g e
abandoned, kidnapped and trafficked children via Railways.

iv. Popularised it through the National Council Of Education Research and Training (NCERT)
publications and screening of educational films.
v. Dreafting and approval of Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection & Rehabilitation) Bill,
2018, in February 2018.
About CHILDLINE:
♦ CHILDLINE is India’s first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and
assistance. The number is ‘1098’.
♦ At present, it is operational at 450 locations.
3 states UP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018
On July 24, 2018, 3 states namely, UP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra launched the Swachh Survekshan
Grameen 2018 (SSG 2018) announced by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation on July 13th,
2018.
i. In UP, it was launched by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow .In Jharkhand
, it was launched by Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Raghubar Das.
ii. In Maharashtra, it was launched by Cabinet Minister, Water Supply and Sanitation Department,
Government of Maharashtra Shri Babanrao Lonikar.
iii. In Maharashtra, one million Varkaris gathered at Pandharpur on the occasion of Aashadhi
Ekadashi to participate in this launch.
iv. The objective of SSG 2018 is to undertake a ranking of States and Districts on the basis of their
performance on SBM-G parameters.
About Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 (SSG-18):
i. An independent survey agency will conduct the survey in all districts from 1st to 31st August 2018,
and the results will be announced in the form of a ranking of all districts and States.
ii. The top performing States and Districts are expected to be awarded on 2nd October 2018.
‘Bijli Mitra’ Mobile app for replacement of transformers in Rajasthan

On 23rd July 2018, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that, ‘Bijli Mitra’ Mobile app is
launched on a pilot basis from Jhalawara, Rajasthan, to help farmers to get their defunct transformers
replaced within 6 hours of registering a complaint through the app.
i. The process of replacing transformers takes a very long time. Hence Rajasthan government has
launched the ‘Bijli Mitra’ mobile app.
ii. Rajasthan farmers can register their complaint through the app. The transformer will be replaced
within 6 hours of registering the complaint.
iii. The scheme will be also expanded to other areas of Rajasthan.
Odisha CM launches ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’

On July 25, 2018, Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik launched a plantation drive named – ‘Green
Mahanadi Mission’.
i. Under this scheme, 2 crore saplings would be planted along the Mahanadi, Ib and Tel rivers.
ii. The government has targeted to spend Rs.500 crore for the drive in the next 5 years.The drive will
be carried out in 1303 villages spread across 15 districts.
iii. It covers an area of 16500 hectare and 500 km and eventually will cover 41000 hectares in 5
years.This campaign was launched during the CM’s visit to Boudh and Subarnapur districts.
“Innovate India Platform” : a collaboration of Atal Innovation Mission & MyGov launched by
NITI Aayog
On July 26, 2018, “#InnovateIndia Platform”, a collaboration between the Atal Innovation
Mission and MyGov was launched by NITI Aayog.With an Objective to create and encourage a
structured ecosystem for innovation in India.
i. It is a citizen centric platform of the Government of India to access the innovation in the country.
27 | P a g e
ii. In this platform, registration of both grassroots and deep-tech innovators at a national level will
happen.
iii. The users can View, comment, share, and rate the innovations in the platform.
iv. It has a leaderboard which is calculated based on the votes on each innovation.
v. Citizens can share their/organizations/someone else’s innovation on the platform by login to the
MyGov website.These innovations can be shared in social media platforms such as WhatsApp,
Facebook, and Twitter.
Odisha CM inaugurated Rs 300 crore Rukura irrigation dam project in Sundargarh

On July 26, 2018, Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Rs 300 crore Rukura
Medium Irrigation Dam project in Sundargarhdistrict.
i. The Rukura project, built at a cost of Rs 296 crore, is constructed over the Rukura nullah in Bonai
Sub-Division of Sundargarh district.
ii. It has a height of 26 metres, upper width of 6 metres, while the dam’s length is 1,133 metres and is
built over 666 hectares.
iii .It has maximum flood discharging capacity is 1,442.50 cusecs. It has only one main canal, and its
length is over 10.872km.
iv. In the rabi season, it will irrigate 2,185 hectares, while during the kharif season, the dam will
irrigate 5,463 hectares.
v. Over all, this project will irrigate 5,800 hectare of agricultural field and Rs.300 crore has been
provided for the construction.
vi. Apart from the Rukura Dam, he laid foundations stones for 31 projects for road, drinking water,
social centre and bridge projects.
vii. They include seven kalyan mandaps and information centres at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, the Gurundia-
Jarada road, Lalei-Koida drinking water project for Rs. 180 crore.
viii. All of these projects would be funded from District Mineral Fund and State’s own fund.The Odisha
government has an aim to spend Rs 75,000 crore on irrigation in next five years.
18th International Children’s Film Festival inaugurated in West Bengal ; to start from August 9 –
September 30th, 2018
On July 25, 2018, West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi inaugurated the 18th International Children’s
Film Festival.
i. It will screen 36 films from 17 countries.Screening of one children’s film in every cinema hall of the
state every month to be done.
ii.The festival was being organised by Cine Central in collaboration with the UNICEF. Screening of
films will begin from August 9 to September 30th.
iii.The inaugural film is Moana from the USA.Other films to be screened in the festival include
 Doctor Funes Formula (Mexico),
 White Bridge(Iran),
 The Monkey King – Uproar in Heaven (China),
 The Magicians (Netherlands),
 The Shamer’s Daughter (Denmark),
 Giraffada (France), We are the Best (Sweden).
Andhra CM lays foundation stone of Amaravati International Sports Complex in Vijayawada;

launches ‘Project Gandiva’
On 24th July 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone of
Amaravati International Sports Complex worth Rs 60 crore in Vijayawada.
i. The Amaravati International Sports Complex will be built on 8.9 acres of land. The headquarters of
the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) will be moved to this complex.
ii. The Andhra Pradesh government has planned to develop Amaravati, Vizag and Tirupati as sports
cities. Andhra Pradesh government will spend Rs 54 crore and the Centre will offer Rs 6 crore for this
28 | P a g e
complex.
iii. The work has been allotted to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The project would be
completed in 10 months.
iv. Andhra Pradesh government is also implementing Panchajanya sports scheme to develop sports in
the state.
v. As per this scheme, 303 schools in Andhra Pradesh have been identified. Out of this, 100 schools
will be offered basic infrastructure facilities.
vi. Chandrababu Naidu also launched ‘Project Gandiva’. As per this project, government will choose
students aged between 10-16 years and offer them international level facilities and coaching with an
aim to secure medals in Olympic Games in a period of 10 years.
“Mission Satyanishtha” a Program on Ethics in Public Governance launched by Ministry of

Railways
On July 28, 2018, Indian Railways organized a programme on Ethics in Public Governance and
Launched “Mission Satyanishtha” at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.
i. The objective is to bring transperancy and ethics in the work culture and among all railway
employees.
ii. It would train every employee to understand the need and value of ethics in Personal and Public
life.
iii. It would help to deal with ethical dilemmas in life and Public Governance.It would help understand
the policies of Indian Railways on ethics and integrity.It would develop inner governance through
tapping inner resources.
PRANAM Act : Country’s first of a kind act launched by Assam Government

On July 28, 2018, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a first-of-its-kind
legislation- the Assam Employees PRANAM Act would be implemented in the state from October
02, the day of Gandhi Jayanti celebration in 2018.
i. The Act will deduct 10% of an employee’s pay and transfer it to the account of the relatives
concerned. Another 5% would be deductible if the employee has a differently abled sibling.
ii. Thus it will compel Assam government employees to take care of their respective parents.
iii. It also has provisions to help siblings with physical or mental disabilities.
iv. Although before enforcing the Act, a three members commission would be constituted which will
be headed by a retired employee with rank of additional chief secretary.
Gujarat government announces ‘Urban Sanitation and Cleanliness Policy’

On 26th July 2018, the Gujarat government launched the ‘Urban Sanitation and Cleanliness Policy’ for
better management of solid and liquid waste in cities.
i. The policy was launched by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The policy focuses on streamlining
the collection and disposal of all types of waste in cities and towns.
ii. One of the mains objectives of the policy is complete abolition of manual scavenging.
iii. Vijay Rupani said that, a system to convert solid waste into fuel to generate green energy will be
established.
iv. The policy also stresses on recycling of drainage water. This policy is line with the National Urban
Sanitation Policy.
India’s first National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women Launched by Dharmendra
Pradhan in Mohali.
On July 29, 2018, The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development
&Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, laid the foundation stone of National Skill Training
Institute (NSTI) for Women at Mohali, Punjab.
i. The cost of the project is Rs.17 crores.This is the first NSTI Institute for Punjab and is exclusively for
women.
29 | P a g e
ii. It would be developed into “Trainers Training Institute” which will give training in traditional areas
for women like beauty care, cosmetology & fashion design and also in technology.
iii. He also launched a first of its kind unique Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for differently
abled persons in Mohali.
iv. He also launched India’s first in-phone guide and mobile application “Go whats
That” in Chandigarh.
Mumbai Weather Live : a mobile application that to provide information on extreme weather
events in Mumbai launched by The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
On July 29, 2018, The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) launched a mobile application
named Mumbai Weather Live that will provide information on extreme weather events in Mumbai.
i. It would cover alerts on events like : Heat waves, thunderstorms, heavy rains.
ii. It also launched forecasts for Char Dham and Amarnath pilgrims that can be accessed by registered
users of through website of IMD orMapmyIndia.
iii. It has also launched an air-pollution emergency prediction system which could be ready for launch
by October 2018.
iv. It would provide: monsoon forecasting, weather or climate parameters, ocean state, earthquakes,
tsunamis and data related to earth systems for public safety.
v. The Ministry with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would also launch ‘push SMS
alerts’ for mobile users across the country.The technology for this has already been approved in
Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh.
Rs.215 crore project of Meghalaya Milk Mission launched in Shillong by Union Minister for
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh
On July 30, 2018, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh
launched the Rs. 215 crore Meghalaya Milk Mission in Shillong through National Cooperative
Development Corporation (NCDC).
With an Objective to achieve Centre’s goal of doubling farmer’s income by 2022 through promotion of
milk business
i.The amount will be utilised for training under dairy farm, chilling centre and purchase of milch
animal.
ii. The project consists of 2000 dairy farm units.Each unit houses 5 cows, shed constructions, storage
room construction, animal insurance, 79 bulk milk coolers of 500 litre capacity, 13 milk tankers of
3000 litre capacity etc.
iii. Rs 1 crore would be additionally provided for the training of farmers.
iv. Mission Sahakar-22 under NCDC has been started to give employment opportunities through
cooperatives.
v. Creation of a dedicated Meghalaya Dairy Development Agency is underway.Integrated Cooperative
Development Project (ICDP) for computerization of primary co-operatives will be started.
vi. The Central government will provide assistance to State cooperatives in areas of handicraft,
handloom, organic farming, forest produce, horticulture etc.
E-Aksharayan a desktop software to enable editing of text printed on scanned documents

launched by IT Ministry
On July 31, 2018, The IT ministry launched a desktop software e-Aksharayan in a conference for
Indian Languages Technology Industry ‘Bhashantara’, in New Delhi.With an Objective to enable
editing and printing of text in scanned documents
i. The software e-Aksharayan was launched in 7 Indian languages.
ii. They are namely: Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Kannada & Assamese.
iii. This software would scanned printed Indian language documents into a fully editable text format
in Unicode encoding.
iv. This would cease the gap in Internet accessibility due to non-availability of content in Indian
30 | P a g e
languages.
v. Mobile Testing Data in all 22 Indian languages in mobile handsets IS standard 16333 (Part 3) was
released.
vi. It would help in message readability and inputting of text in the phones for all 22 Indian official
languages.Development of text to speech tech in 12 Indian languages is underway.
vii. Development of technology that will allow people to select complete name of website in any script
is also underway between Data Xgenplus and ICANN.
Festival
Meghalaya’s annual “Behdienkhlam” festival attended by DoNER DR. Jitendra Singh at Jowai,
Meghalaya
On July 4, 2018, The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime
Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra
Singh attended the 4-day Meghalaya Annual Cultural Festival, “Behdienkhlam“, held every year at the
small peripheral town of Jowai, Meghalaya.
i. He emphasized the importance given by the present government to this region.
ii. He also added that the Prime Minister has visited Northeast over 30 times in a short span of four
years.
iii. Meghalaya saw its first-ever train and got included in the rail map of India.
iv. Introduction of the Act Easy Policy to boost export and business with the southeast Asian
countries. Construction of 1360km long India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to be completed
by 2020.
About Behdienkhlam festival :
♦ Behdienkhlam Festival is the most celebrated Cultural festival among the Pnars. The festival held at
Jowai is one of the most well known and recreational festival in Meghalaya. The Rituals in
the Behdienkhlam Festival. A series of religious rites is being performed by the Daloi (chief).
World famous Rath Yatra being celebrated in Puri, Odisha

Every year in June or July the Ratha Yatra, the Festival of Chariot: Chariots of Lord Jagannath is
celebrated every year at Puri in Odisha.It is considered as India and world oldest Ratha Yatra.
i. It will be celebrated on the second day of shukla pakshya (waxing cycle of moon) of Ashadh Maas
(3rd month in Lunar Calendar).
ii. The festival describes Jagannath’s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (aunt’s
home) near Balagandi Chaka, Puri. The deity of Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger
sister Subhadra are taken out in a procession to Gundicha Temple and remain there for nine days.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurates traditional ‘Kharchi Puja’
On 20th July 2018, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated the 7 day long “Kharchi
Puja” at Puran Habeli, in Tripura.
i. Kharchi Puja is an annual festival to cleanse the sins of mortal souls. It was originally a Hindu tribal
festival. Now it is observed by all communities and religion.
ii. It features 14 deities: Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha, Brahma, Abadhi (God
of water), Chandra, Ganga, Agni, Kamdev and Himadri (Himalaya).
iii. Kharchi Puja started with a procession. The deities and priests were escorted by the Tripura Police
personnel.
iv. A guard of honour was presented for the chief royal priest known as “Raj Chantaia”.
v. Devotees joined the procession on the way to Howrah river for the customary bathing.The worship
began with the dipping of 14 deities in the Howrah river. It was followed by the sacrifice of 108
animals. All these are done at government expense.
vi.The Tripura government is conducting the Kharchi Puja every year as per the 1949 merger
agreement with the royal family.
31 | P a g e
vii. Kharchi Puja is the biggest festival for the Hindu tribals in the northeastern region.Every year,
nearly 10-15 lakh people participate in the festival from all over India and Bangladesh.
The first international festival of Mizoram-Mizo Hnahthlak celebrated in Aizawl, Mizoram

On July 22, 2018, The first international festival of Mizoram ‘Mizo Hnahthlak’ was
organized Dengthuama Hall in Aizawl, Mizoram.
i. It saw huge participation from the Mizo tribal community living in different places and region.
ii. It showcased rich cultural folk dances, colourful traditional attires, mass bamboo dance.
iii. The Chakma and Hmar communities of Mizoram portrayed their agricultural dances.
iv. Other cultural troops of neighbouring states participated were: Assam, Manipur, and Tripura as
well as Myanmar and Bangladesh.Stalls of local artisans displayed colourful handmade traditional
costumes.
Manipur hosts 11th state-level pineapple festival cum Sellers & Buyers Meet and Youth
Festival, 2018
On 14th to 19th July 2018, the 11th state-level pineapple festival cum Sellers & Buyers Meet and Youth
Festival, 2018, was held in Thambalnu Market Complex under Andro constituency in Thoubal district
of Manipur.
i. The festival was organized by Development Organisation, Andro Kendra (DOAK) through Eastern
Border Area Development Authority. It was inaugurated by Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla.
ii. In this festival, sellers and buyers met to promote pineapple as a viable cash crop and help the
farmers to attain a sustainable livelihood.
iii. The festival aimed to help the farmers to become economically stable and enhance their livelihood.
iv. 163 pineapple stalls and 32 food stalls were put up by indigenous tribes from Andro AC in the
festival. The festival is celebrated since 2008.
v. Najma Heptulla also inaugurated a cold storage unit constructed under Department of Horticulture
& Soil Conservation at Thambalnu Market Complex.
Other News Related to Indian Affairs

India Gets Its 37th WORLD UNESCO World HERITAGE SITE
On June 30, 2018, At the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in
Bahrain , India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai ” was inscribed
on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
 As recommended by the World Heritage Committee, India accepted the renaming of the
ensemble as “Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai”.
 This makes Mumbai city the second city in India after Ahmedabad to be inscribed on the World
Heritage List.
 This achievement is expected to give a tremendous fillip to domestic and international tourism
leading to increased employment generation, creation of world-class infrastructure and
augmentation of sale of local handicrafts, handlooms and heritage memorabilia.
 India has managed to get inscribed seven of its properties/sites on the World Heritage List of
UNESCO.
 India now has overall 37 World Heritage Inscriptions with 29 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01
Mixed sites.
 In addition, 42 sites from the country figures in the Tentative List of World Heritage and the
Ministry of Culture would be recommending one property every year for nomination to
UNESCO.
 India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of World Heritage
properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, it is overall sixth in the world.
 The Ensemble consists of 94 buildings primarily of 19th century Victorian Gothic revival and
early 20th century Art Deco style of architecture with the Oval Maidan in the centre. Together,
32 | P a g e
this architectural ensemble represents the most remarkable collection of Victorian and Art
Deco buildings in the world.
 The 19th century Victorian buildings form part of the larger Fort precinct situated to the east of
the Oval Maidan. These public buildings include the Old Secretariat (1857-74), University
Library and Convention Hall (1874-78), the Bombay High Court (1878), the Public Works
Department Office (1872), Watson’s Hotel (1869), David Sasoon Library (1870), the
Elphinstone College(1888), etc. The Art Deco styled buildings to the west of the Oval Maidan
were raised in early 20thcentury on the newly reclaimed lands at Marine Drive and symbolised
the shift in expression to represent contemporary aspirations.
UNESCO Heritage Sites:
Rank Country Cultural Natural Mixed Total
World World World Number
Heritage Sites Heritage Heritage
Sites Sites
1 Italy 48 5 0 53
2 China 36 12 4 52
3 Spain 40 3 2 46
4 France 38 3 1 43
5 Germany 38 3 0 42
6 India 27 7 1 36
7 Mexico 27 6 1 34
8 United 4 26 1 31
Kingdom
9 Russia 17 11 0 28
10 United States 12 10 1 23
11 Iran 21 1 0 22
12 Japan 17 4 0 21
13 Brazil 14 7 0 21
14 Australia 3 12 4 19
15 Greece 16 0 2 18
16 Canada 8 10 0 18
17 Turkey 14 0 2 16
18 Poland 14 1 0 15
19 Portugal 14 1 0 15
20 Sweden 13 1 1 15
Fourth National Consultation of Ministers of States & UTs In-charge of Food, Civil Supplies &
Consumer affairs chaired by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan was held in New Delhi
On June 29, 2018 ,The fourth National Consultation Meeting of Ministers of States & UTs, in-charge of
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs was held in New Delhi and was chaired by Shri Ram Vilas
Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, and Food & Public Distribution.
i.With an Objective to improve consumer protection and welfare including availability of essential
food items at stable prices, Public Distribution System etc., and chart a future course of action.
ii. Discussion on measures required to maintain and manage prices of essential food items at
reasonable level through appropriate policy intervention.
iii. Improving the spread, coverage and strength of price reporting centres, which report the prices of
22 essential food items daily for robust submission of data.
iv. The need for setting up of State Level PSF for addressing the state-specific concerns. Price
Stabilisation Fund (PSF) as an instrument to tackle inflationary trends in important agri-horticultural
commodities.
v. Dicsussions would also include issues like :
33 | P a g e
 Issues like enforcement of the provisions of Essential Commodities Act and Prevention of Black
Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act;
 modernization and reform of the Legal Metrology Departments in the States for effective
implementation of Legal Metrology Act & Rules;
 redressal of the concerns raised by the 3 Member Committee of Supreme Court for facilitating
the functioning of State Commissions and Consumer Forum;
 integration of National Building Code brought out by BIS in building by-laws of State/UTs and
local-bodies .
 Functioning of grievance redressal and monitoring mechanism of National Food Security will
be dicsusssed.
 Progress in the scheme of end-to-end computerisation of TPDS operations of State/UT level,
including Aadhar seeding and installation of e-PoS devices at Fair Price Shops for
authentication of beneficiaries and electronic capturing of transactions.
 Status of implementation of the revamped scheme for SC/ST hostels and welfare institutions so
that all the States/UTs avail benefit of the schemes targeted at the most vulnerable sections of
society.
MoS for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced linkage of 22,000 rural markets to
e-NAM portal by 2020 in AgriVikas 2018 event in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
On June 29,2018, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat announced that 22,000 rural markets would be linked to the Electronic National
Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by 2020 as part of its drive to double the income of farmers.This was
announced the “AgriVikas 2018”, a conclave on agriculture and allied sectors in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
i. 22,000 rural haats will be upgraded to Gramin Agricultural Markets and linked with the e-National
Agriculture Market to enable farmers sale directly to potential buyers.
ii. 585 e-mandis were already connected to the e-NAM under agricultural market reforms.
iii. This would helpin direct contact with the buyers for the farmers and is also committed to realizing
centre’s scheme of doubling farmers income by 2022.
iv. Odisha’s agrarian economy is lagging behind despite immense potential due to lack of skill
development.
v. Government would set up a model for a kewda cluster along the 480 KM coastline of Odisha. It is an
extract from the male flowers of screw-pine tree, which is used for flavouring food.
vi. It was also announced that turmeric from Odisha’s Kandhamal district can be exported abroad and
it will benefit the farmers.
About AgriVikas 2018:
i. AgriVikas 2018 is being supported by the ministries of agriculture, food processing, petroleum and
natural gas, skill development and entrepreneurship, commerce and industry, and micro small and
medium enterprises (MSME).
ii. Over 1,000 participants including farmers, horticulturists, agriculture scientists, entrepreneurs and
students from various states are participating in the two-day event.
About e-NAM Portal:
The e-NAM is a pan-India electronic trading portal, a network of the existing Agricultural Produce
Market Committee (APMC) mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
The portal provides a single window service for all APMC related information and services.
Telangana CM lays foundation stone for Rs 554-crore Gattu irrigation project

On 29th June 2018, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao laid foundation stone for Gattu
irrigation project in Jogulamba Gadwal district, Telangana.
i. The Gattu irrigation project will provide water to 33,000 acres in 4 mandals of Jogulamba Gadwal
district. Nearly 2.8 tmc of water will be supplied to 41 tanks.
ii. K Chandrasekhar Rao said that, the government will spend Rs 554 crore for the project.
34 | P a g e
Bhitarkanika national park has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine
crocodiles in India
Bhitarkanika national park in Odisha has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine
crocodiles in India with a record number of 101 nesting sites.
i. A total of 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found by enumerators. In 2017, 80 nesting
sites were spotted.
ii. A 25 % increase in nesting sites has been witnessed. A female crocodile lays 50 to 60 eggs.
iii. At least 1698 crocodiles, including albino species, were counted in 2018 along the water-bodies of
Mahanadi delta region. In 2017, this count was 1682.
iv. Estuarine crocodiles are also spotted in Sundarban areas of West Bengal. This region has India’s
largest mangrove cover.The mangrove wetlands in Andaman Islands are home to the estuarine
crocodiles.
“National Workshop on Skill Development for PwDs” to be organized by Department of

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment
On July 2, 2018, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment announced that a “National Workshop on Skill Development for
Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)” will be organized on July 3,2018.
i. The event will be inaugurated by Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and
Empowerment.
ii. The guest of Honor will be: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship.
iii. Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, MoS for M/o SJ&E will address at the workshop. Representatives from
Corporate Sectors (both in Private and Public), State Governments and Empanelled Training Centres
of DEPwD will also be present.
iv.With an Objective to provide a platform to all stakeholders ranging from training partners to the
policy makers as well as employers.
v.The workshop will focus on the issue and challenges faced in the skill development for Persons with
Disabilities (PwDs) and will come out with a workable solution to them.
vi. The workshop will consist of 5 sessions. They are:
Inaugural Session – To be attended by the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment; Minister for
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Minister of State for SJ&E.
Session I – Topic: Skill Mapping Viz. a Viz. Categories of PwD – Presentation and Panel Discussion by
Directors of National Institutes, Representatives from MSDE & NSDC.
Session II – Topic: Placement Opportunities in Private/Public Sector including Mechanism to regulate
Post Training Placement – Presentation and Panel Discussion by Representatives from Industry Body,
PSUs & Leading Private Sector Companies.
Session III – Topic: Skill Mapping Viz. a Viz. Categories of PwD – Presentation and Panel Discussion by
ETPs and Skill Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Interactive Session – Questions and Replies/Summing Up.
Election Commission of India to hold a National Consultation on Accessible Elections with focus
on Persons with Disabilities (PwD)
On July 2, 2018, The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that it has organized a two-day
“National Consultation on Accessible Elections,” from the 3rd July, 2018 in New Delhi.
Dignitaries to be present in the event are:
Chief Electoral Officers of all states, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the area of
empowerment of the differently abled Union Ministries of Social Justice & Empowerment, Information
& Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology, Youth Affairs and Sports, Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE), Central Public Works Department and the National Literacy Mission
Authority.
35 | P a g e
Objective:
The event is a part of the ECI’s pursuit of its mission ‘leave no voter behind,’ with special focus on
“Persons with Disabilities” (PwD).
i. The “National Consultation on Accessible Elections,” will be having three technical sessions over the
course of the two days. The best practices on ‘Accessible Elections’ that were practiced in six states
during their last Assembly Elections will be shared in the meeting.
ii. The meet is expected to contribute significantly to evolve a policy on “Accessible Elections,” that
will help in making electoral processes more accessible.
iii. The national event is the culmination of a nearly three-month long series of district and state level
consultations aiming to identify the barriers or gaps in the inclusion of PwD’s in the electoral process.
iv. The theme of “Inclusion of PwD’s” has been given a special focus in the ECI’s Strategic Plan 2016-
2025. Besides, “Accessible Elections” has been adopted as its central theme for this year’s National
Voters’ Day celebrations.
v. Additionally, a dedicated portal for the ECI’s ‘Systematic Voters Education and Electoral
Participation’ (SVEEP) initiative will also be launched.
Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 notified by the government

On July 1,2018, The Government notified the Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 via Gazette Notification.
i. Electoral Bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or
established in India.
ii. Electoral Bonds can be bought individually or jointly with other individuals.
iii. Electoral Bonds shall be encashed by an eligible Political Party only through a Bank account with
the Authorized Bank.
iv. Only the Political Parties registered under Section 29A of Representation of People Act, 1951 &
which secured not less than 1% of the votes polled in last General Election or the Legislative Assembly
of the State, shall be eligible to receive Electoral Bonds.
v. The Bond deposited by an eligible Political Party in its account shall be credited on the same day.
vi. Electoral Bonds shall be valid for fifteen calendar days from the date of issue and no payment shall
be made to any payee Political Party if the Electoral Bond is deposited after expiry of the validity
period.
vii. State Bank of India (SBI), in the 3rd phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash
Electoral Bonds through its 11 Authorised Branches (as per list enclosed) w.e.f. 01.05.2018 to
10.05.2018.
M/o Social Justice & Empowerment organizes “National Workshop on Skill Development for
Persons with Disabilities”
On 3rd July 2018, “National Workshop on Skill Development for Persons with Disabilities
(Divyangjan)” was held in New Delhi.
i. The workshop was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
ii. The workshop acted as a platform to all stakeholders like training partners, policy makers and
employers.
iii. Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the
workshop. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was the Guest
of Honour.
iv. ThaawarchandGehlot said that the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016 directs the
Government to frame schemes to promote Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities to increase
their scope of employability.
v. DEPwD along with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship introduced the National
Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in March 2015.
vi. DEPwD implements the Scheme for Implementation of Right of Persons with Disabilities Act
(SIPDA) which involves Skill Development of PwDs.
36 | P a g e
vii. The Skill Development programme for PwDs is implemented through training Partners, its
National Institutes, their Composite Regional Centres and National Handicapped Finance &
Development Corporation (NHFDC).
viii. The workshop had an Inaugural Session, three technical sessions and an Interactive session.
ix. India is a signatory to the UNCRPD which came to effect from May 2018. The Indian Government
has enacted the RPwD act that came to effect in 2017. It is in line with spirit of UNCRPD (UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
Country’s first Khadi mall to come up in Jharkhand

On July 2, 2018, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that Jharkhand will have the first
‘Khadi Mall’ of the country.
i. This was announced while addressing the ‘Karigar Panchayat’ organized by the Khadi Board at
the Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium .
ii. The mall will be built in the land of the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) campus.
iii. It will be developed by Khadi Board.So far 1.13 lakh artisans have been registered to be trained to
make goods as per the needs of the market.
iv. The artisans would be provided technological aid for value addition in their products, while rural,
urban and tourism ‘haats’ will provide them markets for their goods.
v. This initiative of the Khadi Board, many people in the rural area have got jobs and markets.
About Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC):
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed by the Government of
India, under the Act of Parliament, ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’. It is an apex
organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and
village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the
establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with
other agencies
Tribal museum to be set up to exhibit culture of SCs in Naya Raipur: Chhattisgarh Govt
On July 1, 2018, The Chhattisgarh government set up a tribal museum in the state’s upcoming new
capital Naya Raipur . The decision was taken during a meeting of Chhattisgarh State Tribal Advisory
Council chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh at New Mantralya.With an Objective to exhibit culture
and tradition of scheduled tribes.
i. The tribal museum will be built at the cost of Rs 27 crore in an area of around 22
acres in Naya Raipur .
ii. It will be named after Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, a freedom fighter from the state who had made
a tremendous contribution in the freedom struggle of 1857.
iii. Reorganization of Raipur based Tribal Caste Research and Training as a society.This would enable
it to directly receive the financial aid from the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry.
iv .A separate secretariat would be constituted as per the requirement of the Chhattisgarh Tribal
Advisory Council to ensure the official works of the council are done in a smooth and organised
manner.
v. Members of the state Cabinet, MPs, MLAs, and nominated representatives will have a seat in this
secretariat.Duties of the secretariat would include: redressal of the problems and requirements for
conservation of tribal culture, dialect, language, traditions, musical instruments etc.
vi. Nodal Officer in this secretariat will be selected from the tribal community only.Documentation of
tribal community’s activities will also be done.Tribal Culture and Language Academy will also be set
up in the state.
Madhya Pradesh govt to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana under PMRSS Mission on
Independence day
On July 3, 2018, An MoU has been signed between the Madhya Pradesh government and National
Health Agency for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana under the Pradhan Mantri
37 | P a g e
Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission in the state from August 15,2018.

i. An expenditure of over Rs. 16 hundred crore at the rate of Rs. Twelve hundred per family has been
estimated.
ii. An amount of Rs. 600 crore in the form of Grant-in-Aid will be provided by central government,
whereas around Rs. 400 crore will be shared by the state.
iii. A total of 84 lakh families of deprived section have been included in the Ayushman Bharat scheme
on the basis of socio-economic caste census.
iv. An annual Health Security Cover of 5 lakh rupees will be provided to each family under the scheme.
v. The benefit of the scheme will be given in cashless form through government and private hospitals.
vi. It will help reducing out of pocket medical treatment expenses of citizens.
Country’s first e-waste recycling unit to come up in Bengaluru

On July 3, 2018, The Centre has announced a state-of-the-art e-waste recycling unit for Bengaluru,
India’s technology capital. It will be India’s first such unit in the government sector.
i. It would be built by the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), a research
institute under the Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry.
ii. Bengaluru produces an estimated one lakh tonne of electronic waste a year.
iii. This would promote entrepreneurship opportunities for strategic utilisation of high performance
plastics and metal waste.
iv. India generates about 18 lakh tonne ewaste a year, which is growing at 30% annually. Of this,
about 5% is bought by the 153 approved recyclers and dismantlers and the rest is picked up by the
unorganised sector .
v The main challenge in the e-waste sector is transporting the waste from user to the recycler.
Recyclers expect the waste to be transported to their doorsteps but consumers do not directly
transport but hand it to waste-pickers.
Govt sets up panel to frame norms for surrogacy centres

On July 4, 2018, The Maharashtra government set up a seven-member expert panel to prepare
guidelines for surrogacy centres in the state.With an objective to examine guidelines laid down by
the Indian Council of Medical Research on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), and prepare a set
of regulations to implement them in the state.
i The committee members include health and education officials.
ii. The committee will submit its report within three months.
iii. The GR states that the guidelines of the expert panel will be followed until the Regulation
of Surrogacy Bill-2016 is passed by Parliament, which can then be implemented.
iv. The committee will draft guidelines on registration of ART clinics, hospitals, surrogate mothers and
couples opting for surrogacy, regulation of babies born through the method and their care.
v. It would also up grievance cells at the divisional headquarters level.
5 day 19th edition of World Congress of Food Science and Technology to be held in Mumbai on
September 7-8,2018 : The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST)
On July 4, 2018, The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) in association
with Indian National Science Academy (INSA)announced the 5-day 19th edition of its prestigious
global event to be held in Navi Mumbai, India from October 23-27, 2018.
Dignitaries expected to be present in the event will be :
This event will be inaugurated by Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing
Industries, Govt. of India.
i. Shri Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Civil Aviation, Govt. of India and
researchers, academicians, professionals, policy makers and industry leaders from across the globe.
Objective:
To showcase innovation, exchange breakthrough ideas and drive policy issues.
Key Points:
38 | P a g e
i. The focal theme for this edition of the prestigious congress is 25 Billion Meals a Day by 2025 with
Healthy, Nutritious, Safe and Diverse Foods.
ii. It would focus on concepts of recent advances in food sciences, food processing and agriculture
technologies.
iii. It will have more than 350 Speakers through 66 plus parallel scientific and industry sessions,
special addresses, Oral Presentations and Workshops.
iv. Keynote speeches will be delivered on topics like Nutritionals, Nutraceuticals and Functional
Foods, Food Engineering, Food Chain Logistics and Food Packaging, Food Analysis, Food Quality and
Safety, Food Composition, Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Sustainable Food Security, Prevention of
Food Losses & Wastes and Future Foods, Capacity Building & Leadership, Training, Informatics and
Networking and many more.
v. Poster presentations have already received 815 Posters out of which 411 are International Posters
& 366 Oral Abstracts.
About The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST):
♦ The International Union of Food Science and Technology is the global scientific organization and
voice for food science and technology representing more than 200,000 food scientists and
technologists from over 70 countries.
♦ Headquarters: Toronto Canada.
♦ President: Dr. Dietrich Knorr.
♦ Founded: 1962.
Nitin Gadkari flags off taxi ambulance services

On 4th July 2018, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off Wagon Cab’s taxi ambulance services in New
Delhi.
i. Wagon Cab claims to be India’s first road emergency cab services provider. Wagon Cab provides
medically-trained drivers in its ambulance-taxis.
ii. In the initial phase, Wagon Cab will launch 200 cabs. The drivers will be trained to handle critical
situations and provide first-aid. They will be paid additional Rs 500 for this.
iii. NGO Das Foundation supports this initiative. After implementation in Delhi NCR, Wagon Cab is
planning to launch this initiative throughout India.
Rajasthan approves 1% reservation for Gujjars

On July 4, 2018, The Rajasthan government approved 1 per cent reservation for five communities,
including the Gujjar community, against their demand of 5 %.
i. This is under the Most Backward Classes (MBC) category.
ii. The five communities who benefit from the order of the Rajasthan government are – Godia Lohar,
Banjara, Gujjar, Raika and Gadaria.
iii. This included providing 1% reservation under MBC category in recruitments held from December
9 ,2016 to December 21,2017.
iv. Earlier in 2008, Supreme Court has prescribed 50% limit for reservations under SC/ST and OBC or
special categories.
Agartala Airport to be named after Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore

On 4th July 2018, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to name the
Agartala airport in Tripura after Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore, the erstwhile ruler of Tripura.
i. The airport was constructed in 1942. Land for the airport was donated by Maharaja Bir Bikram
Manikya Kishore.
ii. People of Tripura and the Tripura government were demanding since a long time to rename the
airport to honour Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore.
iii. Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore came to the throne of the erstwhile Tripura princely state in
1923.
39 | P a g e
iv. This airport is the second busiest airport in the north east. It offers main air connectivity to
Tripura.
NSG to be first central force to opt for e-ticketing instead of railway warrant
On 4th July 2018, IRCTC said that, the National Security Guard (NSG) will be the first central
paramilitary force to opt for e-ticketing instead of the railway warrant as per a MoU signed with the
IRCTC.
i. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC) and the NSG at the headquarters of NSG in New Delhi.
ii. With this system the NSG personnel don’t have to carry railway warrants. Buying tickets through
railway warrant system is a lengthy process.
iii. The NSG staff have to go to a railway reservation counter and exchange a railway warrant to
reserve tickets.
iv. Railway warrant is a voucher issued for train travel for certain government employees, security
force personnel and retirees at subsidised rates or free of charge. It can be exchanged for a ticket.
v.As per the MOU, IRCTC will offer the ticketing facility to the NSG headquarters. Later it might be
offered to field units.
vi. IRCTC will provide this scheme through advance deposit to enable smooth service during online
ticket booking.
Karnataka budget announces Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver, increase in taxes on fuel
On 5th July 2018, Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy presented the Congress-JD(S) coalition
government’s first budget, announcing farm loan waiver worth Rs 34,000 crore.
i. The budget has raised the rate of tax on petrol from the present 30% to 32%. This increases petrol
prices by Rs 1.14 a litre.
ii. Rate of tax on diesel has been increased from the present 19% to 21%. It has increased the price of
diesel by Rs 1.12 a litre.
iii. During the Assembly elections campaign, the JD(S) party had promised to waive farm loans
borrowed from both cooperative and nationalised banks within 24 hours of coming to power.
Design University for Gaming to come up in Vishakhapatnam: UNESCO

On July 6, 2018, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) entered into an agreement with Andhra Pradesh Economic Development
Board (APEDB) for setting up a ‘Design University for Gaming’ in Visakhapatnam.
i.This MoU will help in developing the city as ‘International Gaming and Digital Learning Hub’.
ii. The hub would be established on a land of 100 acres in Vishakhapatnam.
iii. Gaming Technology will be the best source of income in future and IT giants like UBSoft,
Samsung, Microsoft etc are ready to establish their centres in Visakhapatnam.
iv. This will help develop edutech gaming in the state, with the target of providing 50,000 jobs in 10
years.
v. Andhra Pradesh would be developed as a knowledge economy – innovation valley.
vi. CM Naidu inaugurated and flagged off a mobile cancer screening vehicle launched by the Manipal
Hospital in Andhra secretariat.
vii. The vehicle will be used to provide free services. Facilities for testing oral, breast and general
cancers are available in this vehicle. It will move around all 13 districts of the state and provide free
service.
Release of Rs 500 cr to SCI to promote cruise tourism under Centre’s ‘Sagarmala Project’: Nitin
Gadkari
On July 6, 2018, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said, under Sagarmala project, Centre
will provide 500 crore rupees to Shipping Corporation of India(SCI) to lease out cruises to promote
cruise tourism.This was announced at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Annual Awards event
40 | P a g e
in Mumbai.
i. No GST may be applied for first 5 years in order to give a boost to cruise tourism business.
ii. The Government is promoting use of methanol and ethanol fuels to be used in cruise to bring down
fuel cost. For that state-run Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers is setting up a dedicated facility in
Thal in Maharashtra.
iii. For the sea trade to shift to the cleaner fuels, Cochin Shipyard is setting up a facility in the financial
capital where such reconstruction will be carried out.
iv. Cruise tourist companies were suggested to bring cruises from abroad and refurbish them in India
which will be cost-effective for them.
v. Furthermore, the Government of India has formed a task force of the Ministry of Tourism and
Ministry of Shipping and appointed an international consultant who has given a roadmap on how to
develop cruise tourism in the country.
vi. The roadmap would focus on ease of doing business, immigration system, carrier security fee
system, customs and port regulations need to improve. The second is marketing of cruise tourism
and the third is general port infrastructure.
vii. The Government is looking towards doubling the foreign tourist arrivals in three years.
viii. It may attract up to 700 vessels from its present strength of 70 vessels a year.
ix. The government is focussing on five ports: Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, Chennai and Kochi, to be
developed as cruise hubs.
x. Accordingly close to 4 million passengers are expected to visit India in the coming years, and 3
million passengers are expected to take cruises from Mumbai Port.
xi. Additionally for the switch to cleaner fuels, on a pilot basis, 10 buses each will be run on the
cleaner and cheaper fuels in Guwahati and Mumbai.
Civil Aviation Research Organization (CARO) to be set up in Hyderabad by AAI for Rs.1200
crore
On July 6, 2018, The Airport authority of India has allocated Rs.1200 crores, spread over 12 years for
the establishment of Civil Aviation Research Organization (CARO) at Begumpet
Airport, Hyderabad.Recently, the aviation sector has witnessed 30% growth rate.With an aim to
start Research and Development infrastructure, procurement of tools, skill development and
knowledge transfer.
i. CARO will cater to Air Navigation Systems (ANS) and Airport Engineering research to keep in pace
with the exponential growth in Air Traffic in India.
ii. The foundation stone of the organization was laid by the Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu..
iii. This would enable air travel accessibility and affordability with special focus on the safety and
convenience of passengers.
Telangana allots 200 acres to women entrepreneurs

On 6th July 2018, the Telangana government allotted 200 acres to 3 women entrepreneurs’
associations in Telangana.
i. This announcement was made by Telangana Industries and IT Minister K T Rama Rao at an event in
which the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation offered allotment letters to 18
women entrepreneurs of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) at the FLO TSIIC Industrial Park, Sultanpur
near Hyderabad.
ii. 50 acres has been allotted to FLO at Sultanpur. 30 acres has been allotted to Confederation of
Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) at Toopran.
iii. 120 acres has been allotted to the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP). Also 10 %
of land in all the 140 industrial parks in Telangana were earmarked for women entrepreneurs.
8th International Convention of Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj addressed by PM Modi

On July 6, 2018, The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the 8th International Convention
41 | P a g e
of Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj through video conference which was held in California, United
States of America.
i.He also appealed to NRI community to motivate at least five foreign families to visit India every year
for Bharat Darshan.
ii.This can help in boosting India’s tourism development through Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat
Abhiyan scheme.
iii. Prime Minister said that India would celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,
beginning from 2nd of October.
iv. A mammoth Statue of Unity in the name of the Iron Man of India is being constructed on River
Narmada and it will be completed on 31st October 2018.This would be the highest statue in the world.
India gets its first biofortified sorghum (jowar) – Parbhani Shakti

On 5th July 2018, India’s first biofortified sorghum (jowar) named Parbhani Shakti containing higher
iron and zinc than regular sorghum was formally launched.
i. This improved sorghum variety has been developed by International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT). It was released for cultivation by Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi
Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Maharashtra.
ii. The improved variety ICSR 14001 has been released as ‘Parbhani Shakti’ by VNMKV.
iii. Parbhani Shakti is cost-effective. It has been introduced as a sustainable solution to rectify
micronutrient deficiency.
iv. On 5th July 2018, an MoU was signed by ICRISAT and VNMKV for large-scale seed production and
dissemination.
v. Parbhani Shakti was developed by ICRISAT under HarvestPlus, a sorghum biofortification project.
vi. It was tested as PVK 1009 in Maharashtra and in All India Co-ordinated Sorghum Improvement
Project (AICSIP) Trials.
vii. It was launched as a rainy season variety (Kharif). But it can be grown in post-rainy (Rabi) and
summer seasons.
viii. The yield levels are greater (>5.0 t ha-1) in post rainy and summer seasons with irrigation.
ix. In summer season, it can tolerate higher temperatures (41°C) at flowering and seed setting but the
flowering could be delayed (80 days).
1st meet of task force on e-commerce policy framework chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita
Teaotia.
On July 7, 2018, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia chaired the first meeting of the task force set up to
recommend the framework for a national policy on e-commerce .
i. Various ministries and departments, high-level representatives from the industry bodies, e-
commerce companies, telecommunication and IT companies and independent experts.
ii. Senior officers from the ministries of MSME, consumer affairs, electronics and information
technology, corporate affairs and department of telecommunications, Competition Commission of
India and DGFT.
iii. This is done on the decision of a think-tank constituted on the issue under the chairmanship
of Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu in April 2018.
iv. The issues to be discussed on this meeting will cover areas of : cross-border data flows,
taxation, trade facilitation and logistics, consumer confidence, IPR and future tech, FDI and
competition.
v The task force was further divided into nine sub-groups for preparing recommendations for the
national policy on e-commerce by the Commerce ministry.
vi. The suggestions and recommendations emerging from the task force meeting will be submitted to
the think tank for consideration by August 2018.
About task force decisions:
Suggestions by the task force would include : taxation on electronic transmission of goods and
services including 3D printing, implication of General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) on e-commerce,
42 | P a g e
behaviour of current market players in e-commerce and anti-competitive practices policy and
creating fair balance between online and physical marketplaces.
About the Sub-Groups of the task force:
i. The first sub-group is working on issues including cross border transfer of information by electronic
means, data protection and location of computing facilities
ii. The second on digital product, custom duties and taxation
iii. The third on trade facilitation measures and logistics
iv. The fourth is working on measures enhancing consumer confidence.
v. The fifth sub-group focuses on protection of IP and contours of future technology such as AI and
block chain,
vi. The sixth on payment systems and financial technologies,
vii. The seventh on interconnection issues and net neutrality,
viii. The seven and eighth are working on skills, education and training and SMEs and FDI and
competition issues respectively.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announces ‘one person, one car’ policy for ministers and
bureaurates
On July 7, 2018, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee set a “one person one car” policy for
ministers and bureaucrats.In lieu of certain ministers holding charge of multiple departments taking
advantage of multiple government vehicles this decision was made.With an Objective to cut costs of
the travel expenses incurred by the state .
i. According to the policy, In case of domestic travels, ministers and bureaucrats must avail low-cost
airline and travel economy class.
ii. Foreign travels if any would be sanctioned only by her.
iii. She also ordered cuts on hospitality, food and refreshments on an emergency basis.
iv. Ministers and bureaucrats handling more than one department were cautioned against using
multiple government vehicles from these departments.
v. Additionally, a committee headed by chief secretary Malay Kumar De was formed to supervise
progress of government projects. The committee will have to ensure that projects are completed
within deadline so that additional expenditure is not incurred.
Meghalaya CM releases policy document on jackfruit mission

On July 7 2018 ,The policy document of the five year jackfruit mission has been released by Meghalaya
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.He launched the draft policy on Jackfruit Mission at Jackfruit Festival
2018 and mission will be launched be before Independence Day 2018.
i. Jackfruit Mission is one of the flagship programmes of the government that encourage
entrepreneurial activities and help the farmers of the state to generate additional income from the
fruit.
ii. It is Rs.80 crore investment project mission over a period of five years. Rs 42.6 crore will be
sourced from the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) and Rs 6.3 crore from
the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Rs 30.2 crore from the state government.
iii. Department of Agriculture organized the First state level Jackfruit Fruit Festival 2018 with the
theme “The Humble Jack”.
iv. It will help over 82000 farmers , 50 small and medium enterprises and about 200 nano enterprises.
v. Meghalaya means “abode of the cloud” in Sanskrit and its capital Shilong is known as “Scotland of
the East”.
vi.It is a part of Seven sister states of North Eastern India.Its official language is English and other
languages are Khasi,Garo Pnar, Biate Hajong and Bengali.India’s longest cave is located in Jaintia Hills
in the state of Meghalaya.
43 | P a g e
6 public and private institutes granted the title of ‘Institutions of Eminence’ status :HRD
On July 9, 2018, The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that the HRD Ministry granted
“Institutions of Eminence” status to three public and three private institutes.
i. The institutions are: IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) in the public sector, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pillani
and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation in the private sector.
ii. Former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami was appointed chairperson of the empowered
expert committee (EEC) to select the institutes.
iii. Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will grant Rs 1,000 crore funds to the three public
institutions in the next five years, the private institutes, however, will not be eligible for government
funding.
iv. This is in reference to the HRD ministry’s move on select 20 IoEs : 10 public and 10 private that
will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
About the Institute of Eminence:
i. India has 800 univ, but not a single university in top 100 or even 200 in the world ranking.
ii. This decision of the ministry would help the IoEs to get greater autonomy to start new courses,
admit foreign students, hire foreign faculty, and collaborate with foreign educational institutions
without the need for government approval.
iii. As many as 114 institutes had applied for the tag. These include 11 central universities, 27
institutes of national importance’, top IITs and NITs, 27 state universities, 10 private universities, and
four greenfield institutes.
iv. Top corporates competing for the private institutes category are: Reliance Foundation Institution &
Research in Maharshtra, Airtel for Bharti University (Satya Bharti Foundation) in Delhi, and Anil
Agarwal’s Vedanta University in Odisha, KREA university, ndian School of Business, Hyderabad, Indus
Tech University in Delhi and Acharya Institutes of Bangalore.
Complete ban on plastic polythene and thermocol: Himachal Pradesh Govt

On July 9, 2018, Himachal Pradesh Government announced that it is banning the use of plastic and
thermocol cutlery in the state.
i. This will come under Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995.
ii. Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country to ban plastic and polythene carry bags in 2009.
iii. According to the ban, breach of the law shall be liable for the penalty ranging from Rs 500 to Rs
25,000.
iv.There would be a stop for commercial establishments to vendors of using cups, plates, glasses,
spoons or any other items made out of thermocol or plastic in the state.
v.This would not only help in environment conservation but also promote eco-tourism in the State.
vi. Apart from Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have also imposed ban on plastic.
Maharashtra govt schools to get electricity at lower rates

On July 10, 2018, Education Minister of Maharashtra Government Vinod Tawde announced the launch
of a scheme for electrification of schools in the state.
i. Under the scheme, state-run schools will be provided electricity at government rates and the bill
amount will be directly deposited in their accounts.
ii. The budgetary provision for school education includes funds for digital schools, educational
material and computerisation, among others.
iii. Additionally, the education department will join hands with the Zilla parishad to conduct a
structural audit of all schools in the state.
Gujarat’s government gives religious minority status to its Jewish community

On July 10, 2018, The Gujarat government has given religious minority status to its Jewish
Community.
i. It was issued by the state’s Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.They will be given
44 | P a g e
benefits of social welfares within the state.

ii. The jewish community is very small in the state with no more than 170 members and the majority
is located in Ahmedabad.
iii. This is done on the backdrop of Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani’s commitment to grant religious minority
status to the community during his trip to Israel.
iv. Gujarat had also hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his six-day India visit in
January this year.
Varanasi would be the host of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019

On July 10, 2018, It was announced that the next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in the holy city
of Varanasi in January 2019.
i. The theme of the three-day event will be the ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India’.
ii. Events scheduled to happen on that day : Ganga aarti in Varanasi, Kumbh Mela
in Allahabad and Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
iii. Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.
Amendments in stringent provisions of Prohibition & Excise Act 2016 approved by Bihar
Cabinet
On July 12, 2018, The Bihar cabinet approved amendments to the state’s stringent prohibition law.
This was done by Division Bench of the Patna High Court comprising Chief Justice Rajendra
Menon and Justice Rajiv Ranjan Prasad .With an Objective to reduce the quantum of sentence for those
held guilty of violating the law.
i. This was done at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
ii. This proposal would be would be tabled during the Monsoon Session of the state
legislature scheduled on July 20.
iii. Earlier, both the owner and the occupant of a property or vehicle, from which liquor was seized,
were liable to be punished.
iv. Under the Act, the minimum provision of punishment is jail term of 10 years up to life
imprisonment; if liquor is found in a house, all members of the family above 18 years of age are
deemed as guilty.
v. According to the amendments, there would be a reduction in the quantum of punishment for those
involved in sale and manufacture of liquor as well as for those consuming alcohol, including the first-
time offenders.
vi.Also the provision of community fines and of seizure and confiscation of house or vehicle in the
event of discovery of liquor therein is likely to be annulled.
vii. Now those arrested under the old, stringent law might also avail of the relief granted under the
amendments.
viii. Kumar had taken the radical step of stringent punishment which has cost the state exchequer
about Rs 5,000 crore annually.
ix.The ban on sale and consumption of liquor was enforced in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government
in April, 2016.
Information Technology Policy 2018 approved by Goa cabinet

On July 12, 2018, The Goa Cabinet approved Information Technology policy 2018
i. It would aim on generation of 8,000-10,000 job opportunities at different levels during the next five
years.
ii. The policy has a provision for developing a Technology Park, ready-to-move warm shells, plug-and-
play facilities, incubation centres with training etc. for new and existing IT units.
iii. Incentives would be provided to the units that recruit pass-outs from technical institutes in Goa.
iv. Additional incentives would be given for recruitments made through the on-campus
placements and for MNCs looking to start operations in Goa.
v. special incentives are also proposed under the policy for units that are registered in Goa and owned
45 | P a g e
by or have a majority stake-holder of the Goan origin.

vi. The IT department will also have training programs and knowledge-sharing camps in collaboration
with industry and state to enhance skill quotient of the students.
vii. It also proposes establishment of centres of excellence in collaboration with industry to promote
skill development amongst faculty and staff of technical institutes.
4th National Conclave on Mines and Minerals will strengthen mineral auction regime
On July 13, 2018, The 4th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals was held at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
i. The agencies concerned with preauction preparations such as Exploration agencies (GSI & MECL),
transaction advisors (SBICAP, CRISIL, KPMG), DGPS survey agency (MECON), etc would also put up
their Stalls.
ii. Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) will be the partner of the event.
iii. PSUs responsible for organizing the conclave are HCL, NALCO, & MECL under the Ministry of Mines
and the companies in which the government stake is under the administrative control of the Ministry
of Mines, viz. HZL & BALCO.
iv. The metal and the allied sector would also participate in the conclave.
v. This Mining Conclave will provide unique opportunity to the State Governments to showcase their
auctionable 100 mineral blocks with regard to its exploration, mineral resources, transport
connectivity from mineral block, policy scenario in State and incentives to attract prospective
investors.
vi. A webpage on the Ministry of Mines website, “NCMM July, 2018” has been created about the
Conclave.
vii. The Minister of Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar announced about the growth of 6% of the
mineral production in terms of volume and 23.4% in terms of value. With average annual accrual of Rs
6000 crore and present accumulated fund of Rs 19,500 crores.
Government allows photography at all protected monuments except Ajanta Caves, Leh Palace
and Taj Mahal
On 13th July 2018, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), an organisation under the Ministry of
Culture, issued an order allowing photography within the premises of all centrally protected
monuments/sites except at Ajanta Caves, Leh Palace and Taj Mahal.
i. This order has been issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the logic behind the
existing restrictions at an event in Dharohar Bhawan, New Delhi, on 12th July 2018.
ii. In 2016, the ASI made it mandatory for photographers to be licensed to function commercially in
protected monuments.
‘Heritage Cabinet’ constituted by the Odisha Government ; CM Naveen Patnaik is the chirman
On July 13, 2018, The Odisha government announced the constitution of a ‘Heritage Cabinet,’ headed
by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The decision regarding the constitution was taken at the state
cabinet meeting in Puri on December 26, 2017.It aims at protection of ancient monuments, temples
and archaeological sites and preservation of culture in Odisha
i. There will be eight members including chief minister in the cabinet.Chief Secretary A P Padhi will
be the secretary of the cabinet.
ii. The other members of the cabinet included are: The ministers of Finance, Odia
Language, Literature &Culture and Tourism, Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, SC, ST Development,
Higher Education, School & Mass Education and Electronics & IT.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu unveils State Credit Plan (banking)
2018-19
On 13th July 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu released the State Credit Plan
(banking) 2018-19, with an aim to improve banking services in Andhra Pradesh.
i. This plan was announced at the 203rd meeting of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC). As per this
46 | P a g e
scheme, Andhra Pradesh has been allocated Rs.1,94,220 crores for development and modernisation.
ii. The Priority Sector that includes agriculture and allied activities, micro and small enterprises, poor
people for housing, students for education has been allocated Rs 1,44,220 crores.
iii. The non-priority sector, under which financial institutions lend credit to bank customers, has been
allocated Rs 50,000 crores.
iv. Heavy industries has been allotted Rs 10,457 crores. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) has been allotted Rs 28,261 crores.
v. Issues related to financial support, review of increasing rural banking, details of ATMs available to
the public, review of PM Jan Shannon Yojana accounts, study on the performance of Bank Mitra’s,
loans to agriculture and allied sectors were discussed during the meeting.
vi. SLBC also reviewed 39 issues in 20 major sectors. SLBC is an inter-institutional forum for
coordination and joint implementation of development programmes and policies by the financial
institutions in Andhra Pradesh. This Committee meets once in a quarter.
Haryana tops states in per capita revenue collection under GST and 4th highest generator of e-
way bills in India
On 11th July 2018, Haryana Finance Minister Abhimanyu said that, Haryana has topped other states in
per capita revenue collection under GST, and is also the 4th highest generator of e-way bills in India.
i. He said that, Haryana has widened the tax base by 82.22 % and logged 19 % increase in revenue
collections.
ii. Also, the compliance percentage of assessees in Haryana is 5-7 % higher than the national average
and revenue collection under commercial taxes has recorded double-digit growth.
iii. The number of tax assessees under VAT, Central Excise and Service Tax in Haryana was 2.25 lakh
before the introduction of GST. Now the number of dealers is nearly 4.10 lakh.
iv. In Haryana, the threshold limit for mandatory registration of tax assessees has been increased
from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under GST.
v .He said that, GST collected during 2017-18 (for 9 months) averaged Rs 1,505.93 crore, which
increased to Rs 1,804.96 crore during the first 3 months of 2018-19, amounting to year-on-year
growth of 19.85 %.
vi. Under GST, the compliance percentage of assessees filing returns in Haryana has been consistently
5-7 % more than the national average. It has been as high as 98.27 %.
vii. Nearly 1.12 crore e-way bills were generated in Haryana from 1st April 2018 to 30th June 2018.
Haryana has become the 4th highest generator of e-way bills in India.
viii. Physical checking of 1.10 lakh e-way bills was conducted by Officers of the Excise and Taxation
Department in April and May 2018. 3,358 cases of irregularities were detected and Rs. 21.37 crore
was collected as penalty.
ix. He said that, during financial years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, Haryana has showed enormous
growth in revenue collection under commercial taxes with a growth rate of 10.47 %, 11.9 % and 24.1
%, respectively.
x. The revenue collection figures under GST, CST, SGST, including other taxes subsumed later under
the GST, are Rs 21,546.98 crore in 2015-16, Rs. 24,301.61 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 29,941.43 crore in
2017-18.
World Customs Organization (WCO) selected India as the Vice Chair to head its Asia Pacific
Region for 2 years
On July 15, 2018, The Finance Ministry released India will head the Asia Pacific Region of World
Customs Organisation (WCO) for two years as it s Vice Chair from July, 2018 to June, 2020.
i. This will enable India to take on leadership role. An event will be organized by Central Board of
Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) due to
this announcement.
ii. This will be attended by the Customs delegations of 33 countries of the Asia-Pacific Region,
Customs officers from different Ports in India and Partner Government Agencies.
47 | P a g e
iii. The Secretary General of WCO, Mr Kuniyo Mikuriya will deliver the Key Note Address on this
event.
iv. The underlying Theme of the Inaugural Ceremony is “Customs – Fostering Trade Facilitation”.
v. A Seminar on Cross Border Trade through e-commerce and the role of Customs administration will
take place.
vi. This will focus on framework of standards of WCO due to the growth of ecommerce industry.
2nd National Tourism Conclave organised in Rajasthan by Elets

On July 13, 2018, The tourism department of Rajasthan announced that The 2nd
National Tourism Conclave was organised in Jaipur.
i. This is the second National Tourism Conclave organised by Elets. The first such Conclave was
organised in Chandigarh in 2017.
ii. In this conclave many foreign ambassadors were present. They include: J Goburdhun, High
Commissioner of the Republic of Mauritius to India, Dato’ Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner
of Malaysia, and Nikolay Rishatovich Kudashev, Ambassador of Russia.
iii. To boost the tourism sector in the state, the tourism budget is being enhanced and intra-air
connectivity is being improved.
Dharmendra Pradhan lays foundation stone for NSTI at Barang, in Bhubaneswar

On 16th July 2018, Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid
the foundation stone for National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) at Barang, in Bhubaneswar, to be
established at a cost of Rs 160 crore.
i. The National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) is developed with an aim to meet the increasing
demands for skilled manpower.
ii. The NSTI will be developed on an area of 5 acres. It will feature advanced facilities to present skill
development courses to the trainers and assessors.
iii. Candidates will be trained with new age courses to meet the needs of the industry.
iv. NSTI will function under the Directorate General of Training (DGT). It will have training activities
like Trainers Training (Long term/Short term), Refresher Training and Re-skilling/Up skilling
courses.
v. Dharmendra Pradhan said that, Skill India is a demand driven programme. It trains people in job
roles that are market relevant and based on current industry needs and standards.
vi. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with National Small Industries Corporation
(NSIC) for beginning a temporary campus of NSTI Bhubneswar in their premises at Mancheswar
Industrial Area, Bhubaneswar. This will help to start the courses at the earliest.
vii. The major highlights of this training facility will be the use of Internet of Things in Agriculture,
Smart Cities and Health Care, courses in Mechatronics and Mobile Repair.
viii. The main objective is to improve the existing training infrastructure and develop new institutions
in the unserved areas.
ix. This initiative will provide necessary and employable skills to youngsters.
x. The Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ministry has involved IBM, NASSCOM and SAP to
create courses on latest technologies to be taught in this institute.
Country’s 1st Defence incubator to come up in T-Hub

On July 13, 2018, Country’s first Defence Incubator will come up in T-Hub , Hyderabad.
i. It has been proposed by the Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao.
ii. It will be coming up in the phase 2 of T-hub. It will give boost to Indian Defence and aerospace
research and industry.
iii. It will be built under the Ministry’s Innovation for Defence Exellence (iDEX) scheme.Under the
scheme research in the fields of Aerospace & Defence by MSMEs, start-ups, research institutions,
educational institutions are to be funded
iv. The iDEX will be funded and managed by a Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO).Initial corpus
48 | P a g e
of Rs.100 crore has been contributed by PSUs HAL and BEL with Rs.50 crore each.
T-Hub:
Founded: 5 November 2015.
Location: Hyderabad , Telangana.
It is the largest Incubation facility in the country.
Workshop on financial management in New Delhi organized by NMDFC

On July 17, 2018, The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, NMDFC, organized a
workshop on financial management in New Delhi.
i. The workshop had the heads of states for NMDFC.
ii. Minority affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced that awareness programmes will be run
by the institution.
iii. NMDFC provides financial assistance by giving loans to minorities at affordable interest rate.
iv. It has over 6 lakh 37 thousand beneficiaries for various programmes.
NMCG Organised “Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan” in Five Ganga Basin States

On July 19, 2018, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organised “Ganga Vriksharopan
Abhiyan” in five main stem Ganga basin states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and
West Bengal. 9thJuly to 15th July 2018 was observed as ‘Shubharambh Saptah’ .
i.Aims to bring greater awareness regarding the importance of afforestation for the task of Ganga
Rejuvenation.
ii. State Forest Departments of the 5 basin states were made the nodal agencies .
iii. Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) were made the district level Nodal Officers and Chief Conservator
of Forest (CCF) at the State level for organizing the events.
iv. Other Participants in the programme were :
 Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS)
 Ganga Vichar Manch (GVM),
 NGOs and educational institutions,
 District Ganga Committees,
v. Schools, colleges and departments have initiated “Adopt a Plant” campaign.
vi. Plantation activities and formal events happened in 100 locations.
vii .Some of the plants which are being sown were: Kanji, Sheesham, Farmis, Jamun, Arjun, Gutal,
Siras, Chhitvan, Mango, Neem, Semal, Jungal Jalebi, Gulmohar, Kadam, Sagwan, Saal, Mahogni, Ber,
Bamboo, Karaonda, Ashwagandha, Curry Patta, Jathrofa, Beheda, Dhatura, Sarpgandha etc.In Uttar
Pradesh the campaigned was joined with Ganga Haritima Abhiyan.
Swaraj hosted 10th edition of 2 day Delhi Dialogue in New Delhi

On July 19, 2018, External Affairs minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj is hosting the 10th edition of Delhi
Dialogue (DD X) from July 19th to July 20,2018 in New Delhi
i. Political leadership, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders, think-tanks and a
cademicians from India and ASEAN member states.
ii. Chief ministers from the North-Eastern states are also invited to participate in the event.
iii. The theme of this year’s DD X will be “Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”.
iv. DD X is being organised in partnership with the Research and Information System for Developing
Countries (RIS).
v. This will be the first major event to be organised after the ASEAN-India commemorative Summit,
which was held in New Delhi in January 2018.
vi. It will comprise of six plenary and four parallel sessions, with each session followed by open
discussions.
vii. The Discussions are as follows:
49 | P a g e
 The sessions on the first day will discuss – Role of North East in Act East, Forging Connectivity
with ASEAN, Strengthening Socio-Cultural Links and India-ASEAN Partnership and Emerging
Global Order.
 In the second-day session, there will be discussions on – Maritime Cooperation: A New
Framework for India-ASEAN Partnership, Development Cooperation and ASEAN-India Trade,
Investment and Technology.
 The four parallel sessions will discuss – Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Regional
Development, e-Commerce and Digital Connectivity, Tourism Cooperation and Building Smart
Cities.
Other Important Discussions:
i. Main focus was given to ASEAN India maritime cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-
Pacific region and special focus on North east and India’s Act East Policy.
ii. ASEAN lies in the heart of Indo-Pacific policy so North Eastern states are active partners in
developing linkages with the region.
iii. Discussions with Chief Ministers of North Eastern states happened where the Ministers of North
Eastern states requested access to Chittagong port as it is the closest port to the North Eastern region.
iv. Recommendation of opening Consulates of ASEAN countries in the North East was suggested by
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma as people from North East have to travel all the way to
Kolkata to get visas.
Elphinstone station of Mumbai renamed as Prabhadevi by Western Railways

On July 17, 2018, Western Railways renames Elphistone Road station to Prabhadevi on Mumbai’s
suburban section.The station code for the renamed station is PBHD.Previously it was named
Elphinstone road station after Lord Elphinstone , Governor of Bombay from 1853 to 1860.
Punjab tourism and cultural affairs minister Navjot Singh Sidhu unveils plan to develop
Virasat-e-Khalsa
On 20th July 2018, Punjab tourism and cultural affairs minister Navjot Singh Sidhu finalized a blue
print to further develop Virasat-e-Khalsa, a museum of the Sikhs, at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.
i. Navjot Singh Sidhu said that, as Virasat-e-Khalsa attracts large number of tourist from all over the
world, we need to develop tented accommodation, budget hotels, food courts and souvenir shops on
that area.
ii. He also directed the foundation to get a comprehensive layout plan prepared from the architects to
further develop the infrastructural facilities over remaining piece of 60 acres land.
iii. He said that, the Government of India under Swadesh Darshan Scheme had already approved Rs 99
crore for the development of historical and religious sites in Punjab.
iv. Out of this Rs 29 crore will be exclusively used for the all round development of Anandpur Sahib.
50 | P a g e
Meghalayan Age: Newest phase in Earth’s history named after Meghalaya rock by IUGS
On July 21, 2018, Scientists from International Union of Geological Science (IUGS) have classified as a
new chapter in Earth’s history – the Meghalayan Age.
i. This contains 4200 years of history and climatic events suggesting a drought of 200 years that
ruined civilizations from Egypt to China.
ii. These caused human migrations in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Greece, Indus valley and
Yangtze river valley.
iii. The reason is thought to be due to shifts in ocean and atmospheric circulation.
iv. The changes has been uncovered from a stalagmite from a cave in Meghalaya hence the period has
been named on the region.
v. The Meghalayan Age is a part of a longer period known as Holocene Age that spanned over 11,700
years.
vi. The geological time has been divided into 3 parts: Meghalayan Age, Middle Holocene Northgrippian
Age and Early Holocene Greenlandian Age.
vii. These three new ages of Holocene Epoch are represented by sediments that accumulated
worldwide on sea floor, on lake bottoms, as glacial ice and as calcite layers in stalactites and
stalagmites.
Rajya Sabha passes Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013

On July 22, 2018, The Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013.
i. This bill seeks to make giving bribes to a public servant an offense and there is a provision of
punishment.
ii. A person who is compelled to give a bribe will not be charged if he/she reports the matter
to law enforcement authorities within seven days.
iii. This was first discussed in the Standing Committee Law Committee after holding consultations in
the Select Committee.
iv. According to the bill, the criminal conduct has been categorized to only 2 types: illegitimate
wealth, misappropriating of property.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik releases first-ever tribal atlas of Odisha
On 23rd July 2018, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released the first tribal atlas of Odisha
consisting of a set of maps and statistics highlighting the tribal demography of Odisha.
i. The atlas has been prepared by the SC & ST Research and Training Institute along with Academy of
Tribal Language and Culture.
ii. The atlas has been edited by Prof A B Ota, director of SC & ST Research Institute. It was reviewed by
development commissioner R Balakrishnan.
iii. It will be available at the SC & ST Research and Training Institute located
at Nayapalli in Bhubaneshwar.
iv. The atlas has been developed using the data of Census 2011 and other relevant statistics. This atlas
is said to be the first of its kind in India.
v. The atlas displays salient features of tribal population of Odisha with maps, charts and diagrams.
vi. The atlas has 60 plates of maps along with corresponding graphs and diagrams to depict the
distributional aspects of the Odisha’s tribal population, ecological setting of the tribal habitats, their
socio-cultural attributes like linguistic/dialectical affinity, sex composition and literary levels.
vii. It also shows participation of economic activity, structure of their workforce, administrative
mechanism and other related aspects.
viii. The atlas has plates of maps in each section with an explanatory text. Naveen Patnaik said that,
this atlas will aid in policy decisions and offer insight for social researchers working with culture and
development of tribes of Odisha.
Tamil Nadu government unveils draft state forest policy

Tamil Nadu government has released the draft state Forest Policy that aims to conserve forests and
51 | P a g e
wildlife, ecosystems, and climate change mitigation etc. It was released by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
K Palaniswami as per the Vision Tamil Nadu 2023 document released by former Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2014,preserving the ecology was among the themes of the document.
i. It aims to increase forest cover, protect wetlands and other waterbodies in Tamil
Nadu.Theobjectives are conservation of biodiversity, wildlife, rehabiliation and restoration of
degraded forests, coastal ecosystem conservation etc.
ii. The policy includes engagement of local tribal communities in protection, conservation and wildlife
management.
iii. Tamil Nadu has nearly 30.92 % of the forest declared as ‘protected areas’. It has 15 wildlife
sanctuaries, 5 National parks, 15 bird sanctuaries, 3 biosphere reserves and 4 project tiger areas.
iv. The Nation Forest Policy, 1988, states that the area under forest and tree cover should be improved
to 33 % of the geographical area of India.
v.As per this policy, Tamil Nadu will develop innovative strategies to enhance forest and tree cover
from current 21.76 % to 33 % by 2030.
vi. The Forest department will also develop mangroves in Tamil Nadu as ‘bio-shield’ along the coast as
per the policy.
vii. The policy will also offer a major role for women in forest management and also the National
Forestry Commission has recommended allocation of 2.5 % of the budget for forest and wildlife
improvement.
Convergence of Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme with Ayushman Bharat approved by

Meghalaya Cabinet
On July 26, 2018, The Meghalaya Cabinet approved the convergence of phase 4 of Meghalaya Health
Insurance Scheme (MHIS) with the centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
i. Under this the health coverage has been increased to Rs. 5 lakh from previous Rs.2.8 lakh per
household excluding government employees.
ii. It would also cover investigations of sickness as well as treatment.This would benefit a total of 8.8
lakh families in the state.
iii. It also approved a Rs.200 crore loan of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department for
enhancing milk production in the state.
iv. Out of the Rs.200 crore, Rs. 150 crore would be a soft loan and Rs. 50 crore would be from subsidy.
v. The loan would be given by National Cooperative Development Corporation.
vi. This loan is for the city-based East Khasi Hills District Cooperative Milk Union and State
government would be the guarantaor. Similar unions are to come up in future in Jowai, West Jaintia
Hills District, Tura, West Garo Hills District and Nongpoh, Ri Bhoi District.
vii. This would enhance the milk production from current 10,000 litres per day to 50,000 litres per
day under the Meghalaya Milk Mission.
West Bengal Municipal Service Commission Bill introduced in the Assembly

On 25th July 2018, the West Bengal government introduced the West Bengal Municipal Service
Commission Bill in the Assembly, for direct recruitment of personnel for various categories of posts
and services in the establishment of urban local bodies.
i. The bill was introduced by West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim.
ii.Implementation of this bill will enable the West Bengal Municipal Service Commission to conduct
recruitment for all the 8 municipal corporations, 115 municipalities and 18 development authorities
in West Bengal.
iii.The Commission will have a chairman and 3 other members. It will operate under the
administrative control of West Bengal government in the urban development and municipal affairs
department.
Gajyatra” begins in Delhi on August 1 to raise awareness on conservation of elephants

From 1st August 2018, the “Gaj Yatra” exhibition will be conducted to raise awareness about
52 | P a g e
conservation of elephants at the Mandi House metro station in Delhi.

i. Gaj Yatra will be conducted for 2 months. It is conducted as part of India Habitat Centre’s year-long
multi-media festival on sustainable development named “Habitat Photosphere”.
ii. It is organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
iii. It is curated by Alka Pande, an art consultant and cultural theorist. It will feature illustrations on
elephant, which is India’s national heritage animal.
Indian Villages Adopted By Ministers to Get Free Wi-Fi Services under ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojna’
On July 27, 2018, Minister of State for Communications announced that all villages adopted by the
Member of Parliament under ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ would get free Wi-Fi services.
i. Setting up of 25000 WiFi hotspots at existing rural exchanges of BSNL will be done. All other
agencies and private telecom operators will provide WiFi services to every panchayat across India.
ii. Under Bharat Net Project, government has targeted to link each of the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats
of India through optical fibre network.
Under Bharat Net Project:
i. Out of this, remaining 1.5 lakh panchayats will be connected with high-speed internet by March
2019.
ii. Uptil now, 2335 mobiles towers are present in left-wing extremism areas.A total of 4072 towers
will be installed in the second phase of the project.
About Bharat Net Project:
BharatNet, also Bharat Broadband Network Limited, is a Telecom infrastructure provider, set up
under Telecom department for the establishment, management and operation of National Optical
FiberNetwork to provide a minimum of 100 Mbps broadband connectivity all 250,000 gram
panchayatsin the country, covering nearly 625,000 villages, to improve telecommunications in India.
Haryana government constitutes inter-district council

On 25th July 2018, Haryana government has constituted an inter-district council, under
the chairmanship of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, to identify the developmental
priorities of Haryana.
i. Permanent members of the council: finance minister, development and panchayat minister, urban
local bodies minister, presidents of zilla parishads, mayors of municipal corporations and presidents
of municipal councils or committees at district headquarters.
ii. Non-permanent members of the council: will be one chairperson of panchayat samiti from each
district.
iii. Director, Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute for Fiscal Management (SJHIFM) will be the member
Secretary.
iv. This council will prepare district specific action plans, assessment of development needs, and
delegate powers to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies.
v. Also, it will review the progress of various flagship programmes of the Centre and the state
governments on a regular basis.
A museum for all former Prime Ministers to be built in Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
On July 28, 2018, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library announced that a museum for all former
prime ministers of the country will be built in the 25 acre estate of Teen Murti Bhavan complex in
New Delhi.
i. Rs 270 crore has been sanctioned by the government for the construction of the museum of all 4
PMs.
ii. This decision was taken in the 43rd annual general meeting of NMML chaired by Home Minister
Rajnath Singh.
53 | P a g e
Srikrishna panel recommends changes in Aadhaar Act; moots new safeguards for data
protection & changes in RTI Act
On 27th July 2018, the high-level panel on data protection framework headed by Justice B N
Srikrishna submitted its report to the government.
i. The panel submitted its report to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. It has suggested steps for
safeguarding personal information, defining obligations of data processors, rights of individuals, and
penalties for violation.
ii. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the report will go through inter-ministerial consultations and Cabinet
and parliamentary approval.
iii. The report focuses on 3 aspects: citizens, the state and the industry. The report covers issues like
consent, rights of children, data protection authority and right to recall data.
iv. The panel has recommended 2 changes to the Aadhaar Act. Amendments have been suggested to
classify requesting entities into 2 kinds to regulate access to personal data on the basis of necessity:
 those who can request for authentication
 those who are limited to verifying the identity of individuals offline
v. It has said that, amendments are required to ensure the autonomy of the UIDAI.
vi. The panel regarding data protection has suggested amending the Right to Information Act to
restrict non-disclosure of information to cases where harm to an individual is more than the
importance of transparency and accountability in the functioning of public authorities.
vii. For data storage, the report identifies circumstances under which data has to be compulsorily
stored in India and cases where it can be stored with mirroring provisions.The report stresses that
critical data has to be stored in India.
Odisha government approved a proposal for setting up a riverine port on river Mahanadi in
Kendrapara district
On 28th July 2018, Odisha government approved a proposal for setting up a riverine port on river
Mahanadi in Kendrapara district, Odisha.
i. The port will developed on a public-private-partnership mode on build, own, operate, share and
transfer (BOOST) basis.
ii. The proposal was approved at a meeting of the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) that was
held under the chairmanship of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
iii. The project will developed in Akhadasali village under Mahakalpada block in Kendrapara district.
iv. According to the proposal, the port will be established in 2 phases. In the first phase, 2 berths will
be developed for transportation of 18.43 million tons cargo per annum for which expenditure is
estimated to be Rs 2,110 crore.
v. The requirement of land for the initial phase has been estimated as 175 hectare. This riverine port
will be connected to National Highways-53 and Haridaspur-Paradip Railway Line for transportation of
cargo.
vi. The capacity of transportation of cargo will raise from 18.43 million tons per annum to 45.88
million tons per annum. Also, an additional 125 hectare of land will be needed.
vii. After commission, the port will offer nearly 4,300 direct and indirect employment opportunities in
the first phase, and around 10,700 in the second phase.
Odisha to implement its own food security act from Oct 2, 2018
On July 29, 2018, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the state government would
implement its own food security act from October 2 .
i. It would cover nearly 34.44 lakhs people left out of National Food Security Act (NFSA).
ii. Earlier it had launched the Act with rice at Re 1 per kg for people living below poverty line in 2013.
iii. This was announced in ‘Ama Mukhyamantri, Ama Katha’ (Our Chief Minister, Our Issues)
program.The NFSA is being implemented in Odisha since November 2015 and it covers
over 3.26 crore people.
54 | P a g e
Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) in Finance Ministry domain: President’s order
On July 30, 2018, Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) has been taken away from the Ministry
of Road Transport and Highways and brought under the domain of the Finance Ministry.
i. It will now be under the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Finance Ministry,
ii. This move would use proceeds of the road cess under CRIF to finance other infrastructure
projects like waterways, railway infrastructure etc.
iii. The government recently constituted a 4 member committee and a 15 member sub-committee.
iv. The 4 member committee was headed by Finance Minister.
v. The 15 member Committee was headed by the Economic Affairs secretary.
vi.These committees decide on fund allocation for infrastructure projects from the CRIF and the list of
infrastructure projects to be financed from the CIRF.
vii. Budget 2018 amended the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, and renamed the Central Road Fund the
Central Road and Infrastructure Fund.
Fortnight celebration of Swachhta Pakhwada across the country by Ministry of Petroleum &
Natural Gas
On July 31, 2018, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), Oil & Gas CPSEs and its offices
celebrated Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st to 15th July, 2018.
i.The theme of MoPNG initiatives in this Pakhwada were “Innovation” and “Sustainability”.
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra
Pradhan led a cleaning drive in Satyanagar, Bharatpur and Khandagiri areas of Bhubaneswar which
have been adopted by Indian Oil .
ii.MoPNG organized an essay writing competition, slogan writing competition on “Meri Swachhta”,
paint a poster competition, workshop on Jute Bag making.
iii.Maiden initiative of Swachhata inter-refinery competition ranking of Oil & Gas CPSEs and
their 4200 attached offices was conducted in association with Quality Council of India (QCI)
across 50 cities Pan-India based on their performance in Swachhta Pakhwada.
The results are :
Company Rank
ONGC 1
IOCL 2
HPCL 3
Top City with company Rank
Madurai (BPCL) 1
Faridabad (HPCL) 2
Faridabad (IOCL) 3
 ONGC launched projects for construction of total 4282 units of IHHLs, School Toilets,
Community Toilets in more than 45 villages across the country.
 Inter-alia Project GreenSole: recycling of old shoes and manufacture of 5025 pairs of new shoes
for poor school children
 Installation of 2 units of “Ashudhhinashak” which are incinerators not requiring electricity or
fuel were launched in 118 schools in Hazira, Gujarat.
 Launch of solar-powered clean drinking water ATMs in Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha and
Assam reaching to more than 1 lakh people.
 Collection of around 700 garbage bags under ‘Cleanathon Himalaya’ programme.
 Distribution of jute bags in replacement of plastic bags to the consumers.
 Seed Balls dropped at designated dry, barren lands on the sides of Highways and river side for
afforestation.
 A QR Code campaign was launched allowing public to register their support for Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan in Visakhapatnam.
About Swachata Pakhwada:
♦ Launched in April 2016.
55 | P a g e
♦ It started with the objective of bringing a fortnight of intense focus on the issues and practices of
Swachhata by engaging GOI Ministries/Departments in their jurisdictions.
Union Ministry of Earth Science unveils blueprint of Deep Ocean Mission for exploration
On July 31, 2018, The Union Ministry of Earth Science unveiled a blueprint of Deep Ocean Mission
(DOM) to explore deep ocean.With an Objective to promote exploration in the deep ocean to meet
energy requirements of India.
i. The Centre drew a five-year plan and allocated Rs. 8000 crore to explore the ocean and its
resources.
ii. It woud focus on deep sea mining, under water robotics, underwater vehicles and ocean climate
change.
iii. The goals would be achieved by : establishing offshore desalination plant for tidal energy,
developing a submersible vehicle that can travel to atleast 6,000 metres with three people on board.
iv. 10 percent of the recovery from these reserves have been presumed to meet the energy
requirement of India for the next 100 years with the presence of 380 million metric tonnes of
polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
Background:
♦ India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) spreads over 2.2 million square kilometres that also includes
the deep sea, which hasn’t been explored or utilised till now.
♦ For this purpose, United Nations International Sea Bed Authority (UN-ISBA) has given India a site
of 150000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) for exploration.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
China approves $1 billion aid to Pak after its selection in FATF’s grey list
On July 3,2018, China approved USD 1 billion grant to Pakistan after it has been placed in Financial
Action Task Force FATF’s ‘grey list’ .
i. The idea behind putting Pakistan in the grey list is to tighten their economy and curb terror
financing
ii. Earlier Saudi Arabia and China had pulled out from any cooperation but this time around China is
providing financial aid to the nation.
iii. The move comes after Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves dropped to $9.66 billion last week
from $16.4 billion in May 2017.
iv. With this loan, China’s lending to Pakistan in this financial year ending in June is set to cross $5
billion.
About FATF:
♦ The Financial Action Task Force, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an
intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to
combat money laundering
♦ Headquarters: Paris, France.
♦ President: Roger Wilkins.
New America, a US think tank announces India US Fellows Exchange programme

New America, an American think tank has announced a fellows exchange programme to enable India
and the US to utilise technology in a better manner to improve the lives of their citizens.
i. The Exchange programme is funded by the Ford Foundation. It will bring fellows from India to the
United States, and fellows from the United States to India.
ii. The Exchange programme aims to develop novel technology-based solutions to policy challenges.
iii. This programme also aims to improve and strengthen the bilateral relationship between India and
the United States.
56 | P a g e
MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo: World’s First All-Digital Psychedelic Art Museum
MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan, has become the world’s first all-digital museum.
i. The MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo is a collaboration between the developer and art
collective TeamLab.
ii. In this museum light and space is the art. There are no guide maps, no descriptions, and no signs
warning viewers to not touch the art work.
iii. Visitors walk through darkness and empty rooms. There are nearly 50 kaleidoscopic installations
that are triggered by motion sensors and projected across every surface of the museum.
iv. The museum has 100,000-square-foot exhibit space. Without lights the museum will look like
empty halls with black walls.
v. The artworks react to movement and touch due to projection-mapping technology.
vi. In a room named the “Forest of Lamps,” hundreds of lamps are hung at various heights over a
mirrored floor. When visitors enter, light spreads from lamp to lamp like fire.
Russia offers to jointly design, build submarines

India has received a joint submarine design and construction proposal from Russia to build on the
technology transfer acquired while building the nuclear fleet. It is said to reduce the cost of Indian
Navy’s next-generation vessel plan.
i. The proposal is said to have been discussed during the Sochi summit in May 2018. It provides an
alternative to an upcoming $10 b P 75I tender for 6 new diesel electric submarines required by the
Indian Navy.
ii. They will be fitted with an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system that will increase their ability
to stay underwater.
iii. Russia has offered to transfer all intellectual property for the design and prototype construction.
iv. This official proposal from Moscow is for a government-to-government deal for joint design with
the Advanced Technology Vessel Project (ATVP).
v. This is the project that provided India its first nuclear armed submarine, the INS Arihant. INS
Arihant was constructed in Vizag with assistance from Russia.
vi. The design consultancy for the project is marked at under $200 million. The proposal offers to
design the submarine as per Indian requirements, including installation of Brahmos missiles on board
and a jointly developed AIP system with the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO).
Mattala International Airport the world’s emptiest airport to operate through India-Sri Lanka
joint venture
On July 6, 2018, India goes on a joint venture to operate the loss-making Mattala international airport
in southern Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan government.
i. Mattala airport, named after former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was a China-supported
infrastructure project in his home district of Hambantota.
ii. It is a USD 210 million facility and is named the ‘world’s emptiest airport’ due to a lack of flights.
The only international flight operating from there was halted in May due to recurrent losses and flight
safety issues.
iii. The government in 2017 invited investors to turn the airport into a profit-sharing joint venture.
However no proposals were received to operate, manage and maintain the airport.
iv. Currently it is running a massive loss of Rs.20 billion.
Other Projects of Sri Lanka:
i. The seaport built in Hambantota, another Rajapaksa pet project, has been leased to China to set off
Chinese loans as equity.
Approval of USD 6.69 billion for 13 peacekeeping operations in 2018-19 by UN member states;
first in 40 years.
On July 7, 2018, The UN member states approved a USD 6.69 billion dollar budget for 13 peacekeeping
57 | P a g e
operations from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019 and implementation of other reforms for the first time
in more than 40 years.
i. This decision was taken on the recommendation of the 5th Committee (Administrative and
Budgetary) of the General Assembly .
ii. It is the second year in a row in which the committee has made significant cuts to the overall
peacekeeping budget.
iii. The contribution of USD 6.69 billion dollars from member states would be invested in UN
Peacekeeping missions.
iv. The missions include MINUJUSTH (United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti), MINURSO
(Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), MINUSCA (Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic), MONUSCO (Stabilisation Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo) and UNIFIL (Interim Force in Lebanon).
v. The committee also approved of major management reforms, including the creation of two new
departments focused on political and peace building affairs. They are: Departments of Political and
Peace building Affairs and the Department of Peace Operations.
vi. This was announced on a draft resolution titled ‘Special subjects relating to the programme budget
for the biennium 2018-2019’.
vii. Further, the assembly would create four stand-alone divisions for Africa, effective from January 1
2019.
viii. Approved the “Middle East Division” where the lead responsibility for the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)
would be placed in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
About the contribution of various member states of UN:
i. The United States is the biggest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 per cent of the USD 5.4
billion core budget and 28.5 per cent of the USD 7.9 billion peacekeeping budget.
ii. China is the other top contributor with 10.3 per cent and Japan with 9.7 per cent.
iii. Number of Member States: 193.
Resolution 2427: to protect children in armed conflict adopted by UN Security Council

On July 9, 2018, The 15 member UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2427 aimed at formulating a
framework for protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict
cycle at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
i. The adoption of the resolution preceded a high-level open debate on children and armed conflict,
which was chaired by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, whose country holds the presidency of
the Security Council for July.
ii. It opposes the recruitment and use and exploitation of children by parties to armed conflict.
iii. It also condemns attacks against schools and hospitals and the denial of humanitarian access by
parties to armed conflict and all other violations of international law committed against children in
situations of armed conflict.
iv. Over 21,000 cases of grave violations of children’s rights in armed conflict have been verified by
the United Nations for 2017.
v. Among the violations in 2017, some 15,000 were perpetrated by non-state armed groups and about
6,000 were committed by government forces, according to the report.
Library for Nepali academicians inaugurated by PM of Nepal KP Sharma Oli

On July 11, 2018, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated a library built by the Indian
Government in the presence of Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri.The inaugural event was
attended by representatives of Ministries of Urban Development, Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism,
Government of Nepal, community leaders and a large number of friends of the India-
Nepal relationship.
i. This would provide research and reference facilities to the researchers and academicians
of India and Nepal.
58 | P a g e
ii. It has a facility of an advanced offset press for printing of books.

iii. Nepal received financial assistance of NRs. 43.94 million from India for construction of the
building.
iv. The Nepal Academy with the Indian Government has planned to develop the library as a digital
library.
v. With the completion and handing over of the building the Government of India, so far, had
completed Projects worth NRs. 486.5 million in Kathmandu District only.
vi. This includes Schools, Libraries, Hospitals and other health facilities, Art Gallery, Food
Laboratory, Hostel Buildings for Women & Girls and Community Centers.
vii. Additionally, there are twelve projects under different stages of construction with Indian
assistance of NRs. 407 million.
viii. Earlier, the Government of India had donated 47 ambulances, 3 special medical van and 41 buses
to various organizations in Kathmandu District.
Second India-China Maritime Affairs Dialogue in Beijing, China

On 13th July 2018, the Second India-China Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Beijing, China.
i. The Indian delegation was led by Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Joint Secretary (Disarmament and
International Security Affairs), in the Ministry of External Affairs.
ii. The Chinese delegation was led by Mr. Wu Jianghao, Director General at the Department of Asian
Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
iii. India and China exchanged views on various topics of mutual interest like perspectives on
maritime security and cooperation, blue economy, and further strengthening of practical cooperation.
iv. The Indian side explained India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific region as mentioned in Indian Prime
Minister Modi’s keynote address in 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
v. India and China stressed on strengthening maritime cooperation as an important area of India-
China bilateral relations, and as a platform to improve political and strategic mutual trust between
both the countries.
vi. During the visit, Indian delegation also met with H.E. Mr. Kong Xuanyou, Vice-Foreign Minister of
China. The next round of the India-China Maritime Affairs Dialogue will be conducted at a mutually
convenient time in India.
Portugal parliament approves new gender change law

On 12th July 2018, the Portuguese parliament approved a law that will allow citizens to change their
gender and name from the age of 16 without a medical report showing identity disruption.
i. Portugal has become the sixth European country to grant the right to self-determination of
transgender identitywithout the guardianship of a third party and without a diagnosis of identity
disruption following Denmark, Malta, Sweden, Ireland and Norway.
ii. The change of gender and name will be independent from any possible sex change operation.
iii. A law that was in force since 2011 required transgender citizens to have a medical diagnosis that
reported gender dysphoria, when gender does not correspond to biological sex.
iv. Now, the new law must be signed by Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The head of state
wanted a medical report requirement for cases in which minors aged 16 to 18 were involved to back
their decision.
v. The part of the law involving minors was amended and a medical report will be required.
vi. The law also prohibits surgical procedures on inter-sex babies, who are born with male and female
reproductive organs. That will let them choose their gender later in life.
Pakistan-China Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) project: First land-based communication link
between Pakistan and China
On 13th July 2018, Pakistan Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk inaugurated the Pakistan-China Optical Fibre
Cable (OFC) project that will be the first land-based communication link between Pakistan and China.
59 | P a g e
i. Pakistan-China Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) project was completed in 2 years. It will help in developing
the telecom sector in Gilgit-Baltistan region.
ii. It will also help in enhancement of security of the schemes under the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC).
iii. This project involves an 820 km-long underground OFC from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab and a 172-
km aerial OFC from Karimabad to Khunjerab.
iv. This project has been launched as part of the CPEC. It comprises 26 high-capacity microwave links
as backup to the OFC network and 9 node centres in various locations.
v. Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing said that, OFC was one of the nine projects to be finished under the
CPEC. He added that, the CPEC will also have a digital corridor.
vi .Maj Gen Amir Azim Bajwa, Director general of the Special Communication Organisation, said that, a
communication link had been developed with the Chinese side on the border and has been tested
successfully for end-to-end connectivity.
Jeff Bezos topped the Bloomberg Billionaires Index 2018 and is the richest man in modern
history having $152 billion
On July 19, 2018, According to Bloomberg Billionaires index 2018, Jeff Bezos, The Amazon com Inc.
founder, is the richest man in modern history with a net worth of $152 billion.
i. He holds the position of the richest man since 1982.
ii. His net worth is $55 billion more than that of Bill Gates.
iii. His net worth increased by $52 billion in 2018 and over all it is very close to the Walton
Family(World’s richest family)’s fortune which is $151.5 billion.
iv. Bill gates is in the second position with $95.5 billion followed by Mark Zuckerberg with $83.5
billion.
v. Among the billionaires in Asia, Jack Ma of Alibaba (China)ranked 14th with a net worth of $44.1
billion.
vi. Following him is Mukesh Ambani (India) ranking 15th in the list with a net worth of $43.9 billion.
vii. Overall 22 Indian Billionaires were ranked . They are:
Indian Billionaires Name Rank
Mukesh Ambani 15th
Pallonji Mistry 47th
Lakhsmi Mittal 57th
Azim Premji 71st
Shiv Nadar 93rd
Uday Kotak 103rd
Dilip Shanghvi 127th
Radhakishan Damani 164th
Cyrus Poonawalla 166th
Savitri Jindal 196th
Nusli Wadia 213th
Gautam Adani 223rd
Kumar Birla 274th
Vikram Lal 297th
Benu Gopal Bangur 328th
Rahul Bajaj 373rd
Micky Jagtiani 403rd
Prakash Hinduja 435th
Ashok Hinduja 436th
K P Singh 458th
Ajay Piramal 461st
Pankaj Patel 479th
60 | P a g e
viii. Top 5 billionaires in the index are:

Name Net worth (in $ Country
billion)
Jeff Bezos 152 US
Bill Gates 95.5 US
Mark Zuckerberg 83.5 US
Warren Buffet 83.1 US
Bernard Arnault 76.1 France
About Bloomberg Billionaires Index:
♦ The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. The figures are
updated at the close of every trading day in New York.
♦ It ranks top 500 billionaires of the world.
88 India-assisted emergency ambulance service launched in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

On July 21, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of emergency ambulance
service for Sri Lanka from New Delhi.The inaugural function was scheduled in Jaffna, Srilanka in the
presence of Sri Lankan Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
i. India has given a grant of 22.8 million US dollars – 7.6 million dolars in the first phase
and 15.2 million dollars for the expansion of the project countrywide.
ii. In the first phase 88 ambulances have been purchased for two provinces and 209 ambulances for
all districts in the country.
iii. This is the largest Indian grant project in Sri Lanka after Indian housing project.
iv. The grant covers training of manpower in India and meeting operational costs for one year.
v. India’s contribution in Sri Lanka is nearly 2.9 billion US dollars, out of which 545 million US dollars
is pure grants.
vi. The Indian Housing Project was a housing reconstruction project funded by the Government of
India and implemented through an MoU with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL).
vii. It led to direct housing provision through the reconstruction and repair of 43,000 houses
viii The 36 month project was implemented from mid-2012 until mid-2015.
London launches action plan to become world’s most walkable city

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that, he has planned to make London, the world’s most walkable
city in the world by launching ‘Walking Action Plan’.
i. London’s Walking Action Plan aims to enhance health and reduce air pollution in London which
houses 8.8 million people by making streets more pedestrian friendly.
ii. This plan is part of a wider strategy for 80% of all trips to be made on foot, bicycle or public
transport by 2041.
iii. People who walk or cycle to work have much lesser risk of death due to heart disease or stroke,
compared to those who commute by car.
iv. According to the World Health Organization, over 92% of the world’s population live in places
where air pollution levels are beyond safe limits.
v. Around 9,500 residents of London die prematurely every year as a result of long-term exposure to
air pollution, as per a 2015 study by researchers at King’s College London.
vi. This plan is supported by Public Health England (PHE). Public Health England (PHE) is a
government body. It recommends a minimum of 10 minutes of brisk walking every day to improve
health.
vii. It is part of a wider “Healthy Streets” initiative. Sadiq Khan has assured to invest nearly 2.2 billion
pounds ($2.9 billion) in this initiative.
viii. As per a research by the Greater London Authority, if every Londoner walked or cycled for 20
minutes a day, it would save Britain’s public health service nearly 1.7 billion pounds in treatment
costs over the next 25 years.
61 | P a g e
Myanmar joins International Solar Alliance; becomes 68th member of the Organization
On July 21, 2018, Myanmar, after joining International Solar Alliance (ISA) ,became the 68th member
of the association.
i. The ISA Framework Agreement was signed by Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation
Kyaw Tin at the Delhi Dialogue in New Delhi.
ii. Other bilateral projects undertaken by the two countries are:
 The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project connecting Mizoram with Sittwe port in
Myanmar.
 The Trilateral Highway Project connecting India with Myanmar and Thailand.The Rhi-Tiddim
road.
 Offering economic and humanitarian aid to Rakhine State for Rohingya refugee crisis.
About ISA:
♦ Launched by: PM Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande at the Paris climate
summit in 2015.
♦ Objective : aimed at optimum utilisation of solar energy.
♦ For: solar resource-rich countries falling between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
♦ Membership : open to 121 countries.
♦ Budget: 4.7 crores.
♦ Headquarters: Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, Haryana.
3rd BRICS Film Festival held in Durban, South Africa from July 22-27, 2018.
On 22-27th July, 2018, The 3rd BRICS Film Festival was held in Durban, South Africa, along with the
International Durban Film Festival (DIFF).The last day of the festival was celebrated as India Country
Day.With an Objective to celebrate and inspire collaborations of world-class film productions from the
BRICS nations.
i. The Indian Side was headed by : Shri Manoj Kumar Pingua, Joint Secretary (EW), Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting and Shri Raja Chhinal, Deputy General Manager (East), NFDC.
ii. The films in competition competed for the Golden Rhino award inspired from golden rhino of
Mapungubwe.
The Indian winners of the Film Festival are as follows:
Category Winner
Best Actress Bhanita Das, Village Rockstars.
Best Film Newton by Amit Masurkar.
Special Jury Award Village Rockstars by Rima Das.
iii.A total of twenty-four films were screened in the festival.
iv.The format of the festival consisted of screening two feature films from each
country and three feature films in the non-competition category.
Indian Films in Competition Section:
 Newton by Amit Masurkar
 Village Rock Starsby Rima Das
 Indian Films in Non-competition Section:
 Sinjarby Sandeep Pampally
 Bhanayakamby Jayaraj
BRICS Countries:
Country Capital Currency
Brazil Brasilia Brazilian Real
Russia Moscow Russian Ruble
India New Delhi Indian Rupees
China Beijing Renminbi.
South Africa Cape Town , Pretoria South African rand
62 | P a g e
India a Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) country: US

On July 31, 2018, The US has elevated India’s status in the export control regime and designated it as
a Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) country.
i. This will allow India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from America.
ii. India is the only South Asian country to be on the list.Currently there are 36 countries on STA-1
list.Other Asian countries designated as STA-1 are Japan and South Korea.
iii.The granting of STA-1 status to India comes after the US recognized India as a Major Defence
Partner in 2016.
VISIT
Indian Visits
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to India from (8-11)th July, 2018
On July 8, 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New Delhi on a four day visit to India
from June 8-11, 2018.
i.He is being accompanied by First Lady Kim Jung-sook on his maiden visit to the nation.They were
received by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh.
ii.This is President Moon’s first-ever state visit to India after he took over as the President last year.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in visits Akshardham temple
On July 8, 2018, President Moon Jae-in , accompanied by his wife Kim Jung-sook, kicked-off
his India tour with a visit to the Akshardham temple .
The Korean President called it as the ‘World’s Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple’.
President Moon along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Gandhi Smriti
On July 9, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in
visited Gandhi Smriti to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
About Gandhi Smriti:
Gandhi Smriti is a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, situated on Tees January Road in the
capital. It is the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was
assassinated on January 30, 1948.
President Moon attended the India-Korea business forum
i.On July 9, 2018, Korean President spoke at the India-Korea Business Forum. This was organized
by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
ii.Major Koren companies like Samsung, Hyundai and LG. attended the meeting.They have been
suggested to expand the $2.7-billion worth of investment they have in the country, mostly in the
automobile and engineering sectors.
India, Korea should join hands for industrial revolution 4.0
i.On July 9, 2018 India and South Korea have decided to join forces to work
towards Industrial Revolution 4.0.
ii.India and Korea are expanding the horizon of cooperation with countries in the region via
India’s Act East Policy and South Korea’s New Southern Policy.
iii.This can be achieved by forming the Korea-India Future Vision Strategy Group.
Joint research and exchanges of talented people will likely b e expanded in the areas of ICT, software,
biotech, cyber sec urity, healthcare, energy as well as future cars and space development.India also
signed a civil nuclear agreement with Korea, which is yet to be operational.
PM, Korean President, inaugurate world’s largest mobile factory in Noida
On July 9,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, jointly
inaugurated Samsung’s 35-acre plant in Sector 81, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Samsung had invested Rs 4,915 crore for the Noida plant. This new unit is also expected to create
employment for more than 5000 people.
63 | P a g e
India, South Korea sign agreements on trade and commerce

i.On July 9, 2018, Union Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu and South Korean Trade
Minister Kim Hyun-Chong signed agreements on trade and commerce.
ii.Both the leaders (South Korean President and Prime Minister Modi)
visited Samsung’s manufacturing site which is expected to produce 10 million units of mobile phones
per month by 2020 under the ‘Make in India’ policy.
iii.India and South Korea held discussions to reduce duties on 11 tariff lines in a bid to expand
bilateral trade by updating their existing free-trade agreement called the comprehensive economic
partnership agreement (CEPA).
iv.The two countries arrived at the final tariff lines after intense negotiations in which South Korea
offered to reduce tariffs on 17 lines.
v.The revised CEPA was signed in the presence of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is on a
four-day visit to India.
vi.South Korea’s main items of export to India include automobile parts, telecommunication
equipment, hot-rolled iron products, petroleum refined products, base lubricating oils, nuclear
reactors, mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and parts, and iron and steel products.
vii.Apart from CEPA, agreements on cooperation in railways healthcare, telecommunications and
cyber security were also signed.
Prime Minister Modi will also hold official talks with the South Korean President at Hyderabad House.
Other MoUs signed between the dignitaries:
i.MOU on trade remedies for cooperation in the areas like anti-dumping, subsidy, countervailing and
safeguard measures through consultations and exchange of information through establishment of
a Cooperation Committee comprising government officials and domain experts.
ii.A pact between the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Korea Railroad
Research Institute (KRRI) was signed for cooperation in railway research, exchange of railway-related
experience and development of railway industries.
Background:
i.In 2017-18, India exported goods worth $4.4 billion to South Korea while imports from the latter
were worth $16.3 billion.
ii.South Korea imposes quantitative restrictions on sesame imports and levies a whopping 630% duty
on Indian sesame, which India wants reduced.
India and Korea to work towards the goal of raising bilateral trade to US $50 billion by 2030.
i.On July 10,2018, Through the signing of 11 trade agreements India and South Korea intends to
expand business ties and more than double mutual trade to $50 billion by 2030.
ii.Bilateral trade between the world’s seventh and 11th largest economies rose by nearly a quarter
to $20.8 billion in the 2017/18 fiscal year that ended in March, with $16.4 billion of that in favour
of South Korea.
India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre Inaugurated
i.On July 10,2018, The India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre was Inaugurated by the Minister of
State (I/C) MSME Giriraj Singh and Minister of SMEs and Start-ups of Republic of Korea, Hong Jong-
hak today in New Delhi.
ii.The India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre has been established at the National Small Industries
Corporation premises in New Delhi.
iii.The objective is to create a platform for micro, SMEs of India and Korea where they can identify and
exchange latest technologies, share management expertise, product development and technology
applications for product development.
iv.The Technology Centre will also work towards building reliable alliances in Space, Solar Energy,
Nano technologies and some other upcoming technologies.
v.It will work towards identifying Indian technologies which can be exported to Korea and find
suitable Korean partners for the same, initiating various cooperative MSME projects.
64 | P a g e
vi.Technology Data Bank from each side to encourage technology transfers, production of high
quality products in India and encouraging Joint Ventures and business matching between Indian and
Korean SMEs.
NSIC signs MOU with Small Business Corporation (South Korea)
i.On July 10,2018, NSIC signed MOU with Small Business Corporation of South Korea on the inaugural
day of The India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre.
ii.MoU was signed between the Small Business Corporation (SBC) of Korea and the NSIC for
cooperation in the field of MSME Sector.
iii.The SBC will mobilise the South Korean MSMEs for technical and business alliances with their
counterparts in India and organise partner matching events in Korea for Indian delegations.
India, S Korea discuss capacity building in Afghanistan
On July 10,2018, Discussions on capacity building programmes of India and South korea in
Afghanistan took place .The idea is in the discussion stage and both the parties intend to do so with
not only Afghanistan but also other partners.
Other Announcements:
i.An MoU regarding the Queen Suriratna Memorial Project was inked to facilitate upgradation and
expansion of the existing monument commemorating Princess Suriratna (Queen Hur Hwang-ok).
ii.The legendary Princess of Ayodhya went to Korea in 48 AD and married King Kim-Suro.
An agreement on the Cultural Exchange Programme for the period 2018-2022 was signed to deepen
cultural and people-to-people relations by providing for institutionalised cooperation in fields of
music and dance, theatre, art exhibitions, archives, anthropology, mass media programmes and
museum exhibits.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s Visit to Andhra Pradesh from (11-13)th July,2018
On July 13, 2018, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation returned from his 3 day visit to Andhra Pradesh where he laid
foundation stone and inaugurated National Highway and Port connectivity projects worth a total of
Rs. 6688 crore at an event in Vishakhapatnam.
Shri Nitin Gadkari to lay Foundation Stone for widening of NH-16 between Icchapuram and
Anakapalli in Andhra Pradesh
On July 13, 2018, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari, laid the foundation stone for enhancing NH-
16 to improve connectivity between Chennai and Kolkata, reduce travel time between the two cities
and also lower traffic congestion in Vishakhapatnam city.
i.This includes the following:
 Capacity augmentation of the existing 4-lane, 13.47 km stretch of NH-16 from Icchapuram to
Narasannapet at a cost of Rs439 Crores.
 6-laning of 54.20 km stretch of NH-16 from Narasannapet to Ranasthalam at a cost of Rs1350
Crore,
 6-laning of NH-16 from Ranasthalam to Anandapuram(Visakhapatnam) at a cost of Rs 1187.10
Crore ,
 6-laning of Anandapuram –Pendurthi – Anakapalli Section of NH-16 at a cost of Rs 2013 Crore.
ii.All the three projects are being taken up under the National Highways Development Programme
(NHDP) Phase-V programme.
Achievements in the National Highways category of the Government:
 The length of National Highways in Andhra Pradesh has increased by 2926 Km in the last four
years.
 A total investment for development of National Highway in Andhra Pradesh is likely to be
around one lakh crore rupees in last 4 years.
 Under Bharatmala, about 2,520 Km of roads amounting to Rs. 44,000 crore have been
conceived.
 Since 2014, 15 projects having a length of 902 Km amounting to Rs 5309crore have been
completed.
65 | P a g e
 Further, 37 projects are ongoing with a total length of 1643 Kms with total project cost of Rs
15700 crore.
 Another 97 works of total project cost of Rs 27,436crore have been awarded.
Shri Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate port projects worth Rs 1062 Crores in Vishakhapatnam
On July 13, 2018, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari, laid the foundation stone for port
connectivity projects.
i.Port connectivity Projects:
 12.7 km long 4-lane connectivity from NH-16 to Vishakhapatnam Portat a cost of Rs 549 Crores
under Bharatmala ,
 0.85 km Grade Separator from H7 area to port connectivity road bypassing convent junction in
Vizagat a cost of Rs 39.93 Crores,
 4.15 km 4-laning of balance connectivity road from Visakhapatnam Port to NH-16, executed at
a cost of Rs 100 Crores,
ii.Ports:
 Inauguration of Port Projects worth Rs 1062 Crores and lay the foundation stone for port
projects worth Rs.679 Crores in Vishakhapatnam.
 the Centre plans to build a port at Vadarevu in Andhra Pradesh’s Praksam district, on 3,000
acres of land.
 Formation of a special purpose vehicle with the state government to build the new port is in
consideration.
 He inaugurated the upgraded iron ore handling facility at Outer Harbour of Vizag Port at a
cost of Rs 580 Crores,
 2 newly developed Berths at the inner harbour and a high rise wall of 7.5 mconstructed
from Seahorse Junction to Convent Junction to prevent dust from spreading to neighbouring
residential areas.
Other Points:
i.Meeting with officials of Shipping Ministry, Port Trusts and Inland waterways Authority in
Vishakhapatnam will be held on July 13,2018 for reviewing the progress of ongoing port and
waterways projects.
ii.He visited the Polavaram Dam site on July 12,2018.
iii.He said that 108 projects worth more than one lakh thirty five thousand crores under Sagarmala
are under various stages of implementation in the state.
iv.Also, development of fishing harbours and fish processing and packaging centres in the state are
under focus.
About BharatMala Project:
Bharatmala Pariyojana is a centrally-sponsored and funded road and highways project of
the Government of India. The total investment for 83,677 km (51,994 mi) committed new highways is
estimated at Rs. 5.35 lakh crore, making it the single largest outlay for a government road
construction scheme
Bharatmala will connect 550 district headquarters (from current 300) to minimum 4-lane highway by
raising the number of corridors to 50 (from current 6) and move 80% freight traffic (40% currently)
to national highways by connecting 24 logistics parks, 66 inter-corridors (IC) of total 8,000 km
(5,000 mi), 116 feeder routes (FR) of total 7,500 km (4,700 mi) and 67 north east multimodal
waterway ports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Uttar Pradesh

Prime Minister Shri.Narendra Modi Visit Azamgarh, Mirzapur and his parliamentary
constituency Varanasi in Eastern Uttar Pradesh for 2 days on 14th & 15th of July.
PM lays Foundation Stone for Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh
 On July 14,2018, The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the Foundation Stone of
the Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
 It is a 340 kilometer long that would provide swifter connectivity between Delhi and Ghazipur.
66 | P a g e
 The expressway will be linked with the 302 km-long Lucknow-Agra Expressway and 165 km-
long Yamuna Expressway from Agra to Delhi.
 The total network of expressways will be over 800 km after completion.
 The estimated cost of this project is Rs.23000 crore.
 For the project the UP govt has got a loan of Rs 12,000 crore from Punjab National Bank.
 The project is aimed to be completed by 2021.
Prime Minister’s arrival in Varanasi
On July 14,2018, The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated projects cumulatively worth
over Rs. 900 crore, in Varanasi.
Varanasi City Gas Distribution Project
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to the nation the Varanasi City Gas Distribution
(CGD) network and Piped Natural Gas(PNG)services under PM’s Urja Ganga pipeline.
 It will supply environment friendly natural gas to the city’s households, transport sector and
industries.
 This network is being implemented by GAIL (India) Limited by making a 28km pipeline and it
covers 1,535 sq km .
 The cost of the project is Rs.755 crore.
 A total of 20 CNG stations are to be built under this of which 2 has been completed.
 This would enable 20,000 vehicles to use CNG in the city.
 The CGD network will also cover four industrial areas and can cater to 150 industries and 500
commercial enterprises.
 This project will give direct employment to 1000 people.
 Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection work for 8,000 houses will be implemented by March
2019.
 Overall about 1 lakh houses would be covered via this scheme.
Under Varanasi convention centre:
 The project’s name is ‘Rudraksh’ Varanasi International Cooperation and Convention centre.
 It is a Rs.186 crore project to be built by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
 This was launched by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe during his visit in 2015.
Under Panchkoshi Parikrama Marg:
PM inaugurated the start of the Panchkoshi Parikrama Marg that would cost Rs.97 crore.
Under Smart City Mission
PM Modi launched development projects worth nearly Rs. 1,000 crore for the city.
Varanasi will host Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas on Jan 21-23,2019.
Under Namaami Gange programme:
200 projects worth Rs 21,000 crore have been approved for Ganga cleanliness and to ensure waste
from the cities are not dumped in the river.
This would include cleanliness drive from Gangotri to Gangasagar.
Other announcements in Varanasi:
Prime Minister flagged off the Varanasi-Ballia MEMU train.
Prime Minister’s visit in Mirzapur
 On July 15,2018, The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Bansagar Canal Project
in Mirzapur .
 It is an irrigation project which will be beneficial for the farmers of Mirzapur and Allahabad
districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Other announcements:
 PM Modi laid the Foundation Stone of the Mirzapur Medical College.
 He inaugurated 100 Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the State.
 He also laid foundation of 229-crore project of widening the Mirzapur-Allahabad national
highway.
 He also dedicated a bridge over the River Ganga at Balughat, Chunar, which will facilitate
connectivity between Mirzapur and Varanasi.
67 | P a g e
PM Modi’s 2 day Visit to Uttar Pradesh: PM launches 81 projects worth Rs 60,000 crore
Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his 2 day tour of Uttar Pradesh from July 28-29th 2018. he
was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh. This is Modi’s 5th visit in the past one month to Uttar Pradesh.
PM launched 81 projects worth Rs 60,000 crore
 The Prime Minister inaugurated 81 investment projects worth Rs 60,000 crore in Lucknow.
 Eighty industrialists, including major firms such as Birla, Reliance and Adani, attended the
ceremony alongside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
 Among that, 51 per cent of the investment has been pledged to Pashachimanchal, 27 per cent in
Madhayanchal and Bundelkhand and 22 per cent in the eastern region of the state.
 These projects are part of over 1,045 MoUs worth Rs. 4.28 lakh crore inked in February during
the ‘UP Investors Summit’.
 This will help the state government create more than 2.1 lakh direct jobs.
PM laid foundation of Mobile Open Exchange Zone at WTC Noida
 The Prime Minister laid the foundation of India’s first Mobile Open Exchange Zone
(MOX) at World Trade Centre, Noida.
 This is a part of an MoU with World Trade Center, Noida, to develop a ‘tech zone’ .
 MoX in Techzone will provide an integrated platform to manufacturers, research and other
allied industries.
 Modi laid the foundation stones and inaugurated 99 urban development projects for Uttar
Pradesh worth Rs 3,897 crore.
 He attended the two-day ‘Transforming Urban Landscape’ convention.
 The event marked the third anniversary of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban); the Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transformation (AMRUT); and the Smart Cities Mission.
Foreign Visits
The Union Minister of State (MoS) for Human Resource Development Shri Upendra Kushwaha’s visit
to Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI)
On July 11, 2018, The Union Minister of State (MoS) for Human Resource Development Shri Upendra
Kushwaha returned from an Official Visit to the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) which was from
10-11 July 2018.
i. This is the first ever Ministerial visit from India to Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI). India
was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Marshall Islands
(RMI) in April 1995.
ii. Discussions on bilateral relations and commitment on areas such as blue economy, adaptation-
mitigation practices for climate change, disaster preparedness, health, education, renewable energy
among others.
iii. RMI showed interest and discussed in the fields of education, healthcare and wellness,
acknowledging the importance of yoga.
iv. RMI also shared its interest to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the earliest.
v. RMI showed strong support for India’s permanent membership at the reformed UNSC.
vi. Both the countries will cooperate under the framework of Forum for India Pacific Islands Co-
operation (FIPIC).
vii. MoS extended an invitation for H.E. President of RMI to visit India at a mutually convenient date.
India’s Contribution:
i. India committed to extend a grant of USD 300,000 for a Water and Sanitation Project Proposal of Aur Atoll
Local Government.
ii. India also gave USD 1.35 million for various projects relating to purchase of equipment, disaster relief,
national export strategy, community and local government projects harnessing solar energy.
iii. India offered five slots to nationals of RMI at the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)
programme.
68 | P a g e
About Forum for India Pacific Islands Co-operation (FIPIC):

♦ FIPIC was formed in November 2014, to strengthen India’s relationship with the Pacific Island
Countries.
♦ The first FIPIC summit was held at the level of Heads of Government in November 2014 in Suva, Fiji,
followed by the FIPIC-II summit held in August 2015, in Jaipur, India.
♦ Government of India also hosted ‘India-Pacific Islands Sustainable Development Conference’ in Suva,
Fiji from 25 to 26 May, 2017.
External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Manama

External Affairs Minister Smt.Sushma Swaraj was on a two-day visit to Bahrain from July 14 to
15,2018. This was External Affairs Minister’s 3rd visit to Bahrain.
Sushma Swaraj, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa to co-chair 2nd joint commission meeting in
Manama
On July 17,2018, MEA Sushma Swaraj met co-chaired 2nd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission with her
counterpart Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at Gudaibiya Palace in Manama.
i. The first meeting of the High Joint Commission (HJC) was held in New Delhi in February 2015.
ii. Issues of trade, investment and counter-terror cooperation were discussed in the joint commission.
iii. Agreement on Exemption from Short Stay Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Official/Special Passports.
iv. MoU on Renewable Energy and on Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare.
v. Agreement on integration of e-Migrate system with the work permit issuance system of Bahrain to
work on strengthening coordination on consular issues was made.
vi. Establishment of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) office in Manama, at the Economic Development
Board Headquarters, to promote bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.
vii. Agreement on the third meeting of the Commission to be held in New Delhi was made.
MEA Sushma Swaraj inaugurates new Indian embassy complex
i. She jointly inaugurated impressive Embassy of India Complex in Manama.
ii. It was agreed that the Bahrain Embassy in New Delhi will be allocated a plot of land in the new
Diplomatic enclave in Dwarka.
Meeting with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at Gudaibiya Palace in Manama
Discussions on upgrading the partnership across sectors, especially in trade and investment, defence,
renewable energy, IT, health and education were held.
MEA’s meeting with His Majesty the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
Discussions on cooperation in science & technology, renewable energy and other areas were held.
i. She gifted a box of books called ‘Bharat ek Priychay’ to the National Library in Manama.
ii. She also inaugurated the new Chancery-cum-Residential complex.
iii. The two sides agreed to explore collaborative arrangements between National Space Science Agency
(NSSA) of Bahrain and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in training, human resource
development, use of space technologies and applications for developmental use and to benefit from
the low-cost Indian experience in the operation and launch of satellites and other space areas.
iv. MoU between Isa Cultural Center of Bahrain and Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to further
expand cultural exchanges.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s Visit to Bangaldesh

Union Home Minister Shri Raj Nath Singh visited Bangladesh on a 3 day visit from July 13-15,2018.
 On July 14, 2018, Union Home minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the largest Indian visa
centre in the world in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
 This was inaugurated in the presence of Home Minister of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan.
 The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) covers 18,500 sq ft. commercial area at Jamuna
Future Park in Dhaka.
 This will replace the existing centres in Dhaka in two phases and would help in reducing
waiting time for applicants.
69 | P a g e
He presented a five-year multiple-entry tourist visa to a Bangladeshi national.He also announced the
withdrawal of the existing e-token appointment system for submission of visa applications.
Background:
Bangladesh has one of the largest number of visitors from a single country to India. In 2017, 1.4
million visas were issued.
Home Minister inaugurate the Bangladesh-India Friendship Building at the Bangladesh Police
Academy, Sardah
 On July 14,2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh along with Home Minister of
Bangladesh, Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan inauguratedBangladesh-India Friendship Building at
the Bangladesh Police Academy, Sardah in Rajshahi, Western Bangladesh.
 Foundation stone of this project was laid by the PM Shri Narendra Modi and the PM of
Bangladesh, Ms. Sheikh Hasina in 2015.
 It is a development cooperation project between India and Bangladesh.
 It has Forensic Laboratories, Mock Crime Scenes, Mock Police Station, IT Centre with computer
labs etc.
Other announcements in Rajshahi:
 An MoC was also signed between Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy,
Hyderabad and the Bangladesh Police Academy, Sardah, Rajshahi for mutual cooperation
in training, management and exchange of trainers and trainees between two Police Academies.
 An MoC was signed by Smt. D R Doley Barman, Director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National
Police Academy, Hyderabad and Mr. Md. Nazibur Rahman, Addl (IGP), Principal, Bangladesh
Police Academy for capacity building programmes being organized in India for Bangladesh
officials.
Mr Singh co-chaired the 6th meeting of the India-Bangladesh Home Minister Level Talks which
is held in Dhaka
 On July 15,2018, The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh co-chaired the 6th meeting of the
Home Minister level talks with his Bangladesh counterpart, Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan in Dhaka.
 Focus areas of the meeting was : counter-terrorism, capacity building and increased
cooperation between security agencies, border management, countering illegal activities like
fake currency, drug and human trafficking, consular issues etc.
 Signing of the Revised Travel Arrangement 2018 (RTA 2018) amending the earlier RTA 2013
took place to liberalize visa between the two countries especially employment and student
visas.
 Also under RTA 2018, freedom fighters and elderly Bangladeshi nationals will get 5 year
multiple visa from India.
 On July 15,2018, his last day of the visit he visited:
 Bangabandhu Museum in Dhanmondi, Dhaka and payed homage to Bangladesh’s Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
 He also visited Dhakeshwari temple.
PM Narendra Modi Africa Tour 2018: 5-Day State Visit To Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa; To Attend
BRICS Summit In SA
On July 23, 2018 PM Modi set out for his three-nation Africa tour of Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa,
as part of India’s outreach to the resource-rich continent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Rwanda from July 23-24, 2018.
In the first leg of the visit The Prime Minister Modi reached Rwanda’s capital Kigali for a two-day
visit from July 23-24, 2018.
He became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Rwanda.
P.M.Narendra Modi attended India-Rwanda Business Forum in Kigali
i.With an aim to boost economic ties, PM Modi attended the India-Rwanda Business forum in
Kigali on July 24,2018.
70 | P a g e
ii.Discussions on rural development and small scale industries took place. This would strengthen
economic and cultural relations between the two countries.
iii.Delegation-level talks were held between Mr. Modi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
India, Rwanda signed eight agreements in various fields, the two countries signed a defence
cooperation agreement
i.India and Rwanda signed eight MoU’s in various fields including Defence, Trade and Agriculture.
ii.An agreement on defence was also signed for capacity building, industry, science, and technology.
iii.An MoU on agriculture signed in May 2007 was amended in the field of agriculture and animal
resources. It would work on research, technological development, capacity building and human
resource development.
iv.An MoU on the cultural exchange programme for the year 2018-22 was signed. Area of focus will be
music and dance, theatre, exhibitions, seminars and conference, archaeology, archives, library,
museums, literature, research, and documentation.
v.MoU on dairy cooperation was signed on cooperation in agricultural research and education
between RAB (Rwanda Agriculture Board) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research).
vi.Focusing on training and research in dairy, processing of dairy products, quality and safety of mil,
biotechnological intervention in livestock.
vii.An MoU on trade cooperation framework was signed to facilitate trade and economic ties.
India extended USD 200 million line of credit to Rwanda, to open a High Commission in Kigali
i.Two LOC (Line of Credit) agreements worth 100 million each was signed.
ii.Out of this: USD 100 million for development of Industrial Parks and expansion of Kigali Special
Economic Zones and another USD 100 million for Agriculture irrigation scheme in Rwanda.
iii.This was signed between Chief General Manager, EXIM Bank, Nadeem Panjetan and
Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana.
iv.India decided to open a High Commission in Rwanda establish communication and facilitate
consular, passport and visa services between the two countries.
PM Modi gifted cows to 200 households in Rweru model village in Bugesera under Rwandan
Government’s Girinka Programme
i.PM Modi gifted 200 cows to villagers in Rwanda’s at Rweru village to support President Paul
Kagame’s initiative of poverty reduction and child malnutrition.
ii.The name of the initiative is ‘Girinka Programme’ which translates to ‘may you have a cow’.
Modi also visited the Genocide Memorial Centre which honours over 250,000 victims of
Rwanda’s mass killings in 1994.
On July 24,2018, PM visited the Genocide Memorial Centre which honours over 250,000 victims of the
country’s mass killings in 1994.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Uganda from July 25-26, 2018.
 He reached the Entebbe International Airport to visit Uganda for 2 days on 25th July 2018. He
was received by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni.
 It is the first bilateral tour by an Indian prime minister since 1997.
 He is also first Indian prime minister to address the Ugandan Parliament.
India, Uganda sign four MoUs in various fields
On July 25,2018, India and Uganda signed four MoUs in various field.They are: Defence cooperation,
visa exemption for official and diplomatic passport holders, cultural exchange programme and
material testing laboratory.
P.M.Narendra Modi attended Indian-Uganda Business Forum in Kampala.
On July 25, 2018, Delegation-level talks were held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala in theIndian-Uganda Business Forum.
i.Discussions on topics included sectors such as defence, innovation, investment and tourism.
ii.The PM sought permission for Ugandan Airlines to fly to Mumbai for boosting tourism.
iii.Indian companies to invest in Uganda’s healthcare sector.
Mr Modi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni unveiled a bust of India’s first Home
Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
71 | P a g e
On July 25,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni unveiled a
bust of India’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Indian community event they
addressed in Kampala.
India extended two lines of credit worth nearly USD 200 mn to Uganda
On July 25,2018, India has offered Uganda a total $200 million worth of credit to help the East African
country expand its electricity distribution infrastructure and invest in its agriculture sector.
i.India will also assist Uganda in training, capacity building, infrastructure development, IT and
development initiatives.
ii.India will provide a cancer therapy machine to the Cancer Institute in Kampala.
iii.India will build a commemoration centre in Kampala in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
PM’s Visit to South Africa from July 26-27, 2018
On July 26,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa on his arrival for the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.
India and South Africa are celebrating 21 years of strategic partnership.
PM Modi meets S Africa Prez, discusses ways to boost bilateral ties
On July 26,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
discussed ways to expand the bilateral ties in a number of sectors. These included: trade and
investment, IT and defence.
The 3 MOUs signed in the Meeting were:
i. MoU between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India and the Agricultural
Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa on Cooperation in Agricultural Research and Education.
ii. MoU between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Republic
of India regarding the Setting up of the “Gandhi Mandela Centre of Specialization for Artisan Skills” in
South Africa.
iii. MoU between Indian Space Research Organization and the South African National Space Agency on
Cooperation in the Exploration and uses of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.This year also marks
the 125th year of the Pietermaritzburg railway station ‘incident’ involving Mahatma
Gandhi.Commemorating the Satyagraha movement , twin stamps of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson
Mandela will be released during the meeting between the two leaders.
10th BRICS Summit 2018
On the last leg of his 5 day South African tour, is the 10th BRICS Summit 2018 held
in Johannesburg on July 26-27, 2018.BRICS was held under the theme is “BRICS in
Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution”
Action Plan:
 STRENGTHENING MULTILATERALISM, REFORMING GLOBAL GOVERNANCE AND
ADDRESSING COMMON CHALLENGES
 STRENGTHENING AND CONSOLIDATING BRICS COOPERATION IN INTERNATIONAL PEACE
AND SECURITY
 BRICS PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY, REFORM OF FINANCIAL AND
ECONOMIC GLOBAL GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONS, AND THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
 PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE COOPERATION
What is Fourth Industrial Revolution?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial
Revolution of the 18th century. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines
between the physical, digital and biological spheres.
PM meets Xi on the sidelines of BRICS
PM Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping for the third time in four months. The two leaders
reportedly discussed strengthening India-China ties and new opportunities for cooperation.
PM meets President of Argentina
PM narendra modi had a good meeting with the President of Argentina Mauricio Macri on the
72 | P a g e
sidelines of the #BRICS Summit. Discussed enhancing cooperation in trade and investment,
agriculture and food processing and pharma.
PM meets President of Angola
PM narendra modi had a meeting With the President of Angola Joao Lourenco. Discussed intensifying
relations in trade and investment, agriculture & food processing, pharma, oil and natural gas.
PM Narendra Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of
the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, and said the friendship between India and Russia is deep-rooted.
The two leaders had a comprehensive discussion on bilateral issues of mutual interest, especially in
trade, investment, energy, defence and tourism.
BANKING AND FINANCE

RBI in News
Bank of China soon to operate in India; RBI gives nod to the second bank from China
On July 5, 2018, The RBI has issued licence to Bank of China to launch operations in India.
i. This was done in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a commitment
to Chinese President Xi Jinping to allow Bank of China to set up branches in India when they met on
the sidelines of the SCO summit in Chinese city of Qingdao.
ii.This is the second Chinese lender to secure a licence to open a branch in India. In 2011, RBI gave
approval to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China(ICBC) to open a branch in India. It currently has
a branch in Mumbai.
iii. This agreement comes after China agreed to relax tariffs on non-Basmati rice,sugar and other
commodities from India.
About Bank Of China:
Bank of China is a 106-year old bank and one of the largest banks in China. Its market capitalization
id $165 billion. It has branches in 51 countries.
♦ CEO: Gao Yingxin.
♦ Headquarters: Beijing, China.
RBI cancels licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank in
Alwar, Rajasthan has been cancelled due to its bad position to pay its depositors in full and the
present financial position of the bank leaves no scope for its revival.
i.It is effective from the close of business on July 5 2018.
ii. Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Rajasthan has also been requested to issue an order for winding
up the bank and appoint a liquidator for the bank.
RBI to issue new 100 Rupee notes with motif of ‘Rani Ki Vav’
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would issue new Rs. 100 note with motif of ‘Rani Ki Vav’ next month.
i. This note is part of the revised design series introduced after demonetization in November 2016.
ii. This note will have Gujarat’s ‘Rani Ki Vav’ (queen’s stepwell) along with the Swachh Bharat logo
and slogan on its reverse. Gandhi ji’s placement will be the same.
iii. The base colour of the note is lavender. The note has other designs, geometric patterns aligning
with the overall colour scheme, both at the obverse and reverse.
iv. Dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm x 142 mm. All the Rs. 100 notes issued by the Reserve
Bank of India in the earlier series will continue to be legal tender.
v. The new note is little smaller than the existing one and bigger than the Rs. 10 note.
vi. In 2014, UNESCO had recognised Gujarat’s ‘Rani-ki-Vav’ as a World Heritage Site. It is an 11th-
century wonder in Patan, Gujarat.
73 | P a g e
Technology in Banking
Indian banks improving their banking practices using AI enable technology
On July 2, 2018, Indian public and private banks have started using AI improve efficiency, detect
human behaviour and reduce operational costs.
Bank New AI/Technology deployed Uses
SBI SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA). A smart chat assistant that efficiently resolves
queries of NRI customers .
Innovation Centre Will explore AI Robotic Process Automation
(RPA) to make banking process more
efficient.
Bank of Baroda Baroda Brainy artificial intelligence robot.
Digital Lab hi-tech digital branch equipped with
advanced gadgets.
Allahabad Bank emPower app App will have Chatbot and artificial
intelligence based e-commerce payments.
HDFC securities launched MF transactions on Facebook messenger through Arya

On July 11, 2018, HDFC securities announced launch of Mutual Funds transactional capabilities
on Facebook Messenger through their virtual assistant, Arya.
i. Through conversational style of investing, customers will invest in a language they understand and
not get caught up in stock market jargons.
ii. It is a familiar platform for investing that gives a time independent and an all-inclusive (portfolio
status, research, stock quotes) window.
iii. This project also includes vision to innovate and provide intuitive and relevant digital solutions to
customers through a theme called “The Pace of Innovation” of HDFC Securities.
iv. This particular feature, apart from mutual fund investments, facilitates a quick overview of total
portfolio holding, getting the latest stock quotes and opening an account.
SBI Card launches AI enabled Electronic Live Assistant (ELA) for customer support and
interaction
On July 5, 2018, SBI Card, the country’s second largest credit card issuer, announced the launch
of ELA’ (Electronic Live Assistant), a virtual assistant for customer support and services.
i. It is designed to enhance customer experience by providing relevant and instant responses to
customer queries.
ii. Additionally, Customers can communicate with ELA in conversational language
iii. The virtual assistant is currently hosted on the SBI Card website and will soon be integrated on the
mobile app as well.
Other Bank & Finance Related News

NABARD sanctions Rs.735 Cr for 86 projects in West Bengal under Rural Infrastructure
Development Fund(RIDF)
On July 3, 2018, NABARD has announced that it has sanctioned Rs 735.53 crore in the first quarter of
the current fiscal under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for West Bengal.With an
Objective, for facilitating the execution of 86 projects.
i. These include 6 solar power, 1 medium irrigation, 5 minor irrigation and 12 flood protection
projects, 57 projects for the widening and strengthening of roads and 5 rural bridges.
ii. The grid connected solar power projects would generate 88.61 MU of green energy per annum.
iii. The work on the irrigation projects would benefit 11,554 hectares of land besides addressing the
problems of water wastage in the upstream areas, seepage loss, deposition of silt and insufficient
height of canal, which have been resulting in erratic and short supply of water in the command area.
iv. The flood protection measures were aimed at addressing the erosion of river banks and about 155
villages would benefit from it.
74 | P a g e
v. The widening and strengthening of 57 roads would facilitate 352.81 km in 14 districts and this
would help the farmers to access agro inputs and markets for their agricultural produce along with
other facilities.And the rural bridges would lead to saving of 82 km distance.
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF):
i. Government of India created the RIDF in NABARD in 1995-96, with an initial corpus of Rs.2,000
crore. With the allocation of Rs.25,000 crore for 2017-18 under RIDF XXIII, the cumulative allocation
has reached Rs.2,92,500 crore, including Rs. 18,500 crore under Bharat Nirman.
ii. At present, there are 36 eligible activities under RIDF as approved by GoI. (Annexure I). The eligible
activities are classified under three broad categories i.e.Agriculture and related sector,Social
sector,Rural connectivity.
IIFL is India’s No. 1 banker for equity issuance for private sector companies in FY18: Prime
Database Investment Bankers League table for FY 2017-18.
On July 3, 2018, IIFL is India’s top investment bank for equity issuance by private sector companies as
per report of Prime Database Investment Bankers League table for FY 2017-18.
i. During the financial year 2017-18, IIFL completed twenty seven investment banking transactions
including eleven IPOs (Initial Public Offers) and eight follow-on transactions involving top listed
companies.
ii.The list of IPOs includes ICICI Lombard General Insurance, HDFC Life, Reliance Nippon Life Asset
Management, Future Supply Chain, Shalby Multi-Speciality Hospitals, Indian Energy Exchange,
Security & Intelligence Services, Dixon Technologies and Capacite Infraprojects.
iii. IIFL has been among the top investment bankers in India over the past few years in terms of
capital raise.
iv. It has helped in raising about Rs. 48,000 crores of capital in the year 2017-18.
v. It has 250 stocks in the listed space and more than 400 institutional investors both in India and
globally.
About IIFL:
♦ IIFL Holdings Ltd. (IIFL) is a category I Merchant Banker and a part of leading diversified financial
services group. IIFL is a publicly listed company and is engaged in Investment Banking, Securities
dealing, Wealth & Asset Management and Loans & Mortgages.
♦ IIFL was the banker for the largest QIPs like SBI, HDFC, Federal Bank, Deepak
Nitrite and Vardhaman Special Steels Ltd. It also managed the rights issue for Karur Vysya Bank and
the first InvIT in India for IRB.
PNB and Allahabad Bank hikes lending rates by up to 10 basis points

On June 30, 2018, State-owned Punjab National Bank and Allahabad Bank have raised the marginal
cost of funds-based lending rate, the floor rate at which it lends to consumers, for select tenors
by 0.05-0.10 per cent.This will be effective from July 1,2018.The changes are as follows:
Term Change by (basis Points) Changed rate of MCLR
Overnight 10 7.90
One month 10 8.05
Three Month 10 8.20
Six month 10 8.40
One year 5 8.45
Three years 5 8.60
Five years 5 8.75
Other than PNB , Allahabad Bank has also raised its MCLR effective from July 1 ,2018.
They are as follows:
Term Change by (basis Points) Changed rate of MCLR
Overnight 10 7.95
One month 10 8.05
Three Month 10 8.25
75 | P a g e
Six month 10 8.30

One year 10 8.45
Two years 10 8.65
Three years 10 8.75
World Bank arm International Finance Corporation (IFC) invests $100 mn in Mahindra &
Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. (M&M)
On July 4, 2018, World Bank group member International Finance Corporation (IFC) invested $100
million in Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. (M&M).With an Objective to give financial
assistance to small and medium enterprises
i. This would be through secured non-convertible debentures.
ii. This would enhance financial support towards tractor finance which in turn will improve
mechanized farming by cutting costs by 25% and raising productivity by 20%.
iii. This is in line of the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers income by 2022.
25 countries in global banks’ ‘high risk’ list’

The main custodian banks shared a list of 25 countries named as “high-risk jurisdictions” with
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently.
i. China, UAE, Cyprus and Mauritius, along with 21 other countries have been named as “high-risk
jurisdictions” by global banks acting as custodians for foreign funds.
ii. Large investors and beneficial owners of these funds entering India through high-risk jurisdictions
will be highly scrutinized.
iii. Non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin will face more obstacles in participating in funds
set up in these countries for trading on Indian exchanges.
iv. HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Citi, Standard Chartered and JP Morgan are some of the banks that prepared
the list.
v. SEBI registered foreign portfolio funds invest in India through 56 countries. Out of this 25 countries
are now considered ‘high risk’.
vi. Other countries in the ‘high-risk jurisdiction’ list are: Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman, Channel Islands, Cook Islands, Guernsey, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kuwait,
Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Oman, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago,
and Turkey.
vii. Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Luxembourg are excluded from the list.
Finance Ministry keeps the interest rates of Small savings unchanged for the July-Sept quarter
On July 3, 2018, The Finance Ministry announced that it has kept the interest rates on small savings
schemes, including NSC and PPF, unchanged for the July-September quarter.With an Objective to
lowering their deposit rates.
i. The interest rates are as follows:
Schemes Interest rate
5 yr Senior citizen Savings Scheme (paid quarterly) 8.3
Savings Deposits 4%
Public Provident Fund (PPF) 7.6
National Savings Certificate (NSC) 7.6
Kisan Vikas Patra (maturity in 11 months) 7.3
Sukanya Samriddhi Account 8.1
Term Deposit (1-5 years) 6.6-7.4
5 year Recurring Deposit 6.9
About the various schemes:
1) 15-year public provident fund scheme
i. Public provident funds (PPF) are a long-term investment option which offer you the benefit of
exempt, exempt, exempt or EEE on income tax. EEE means that PPF returns are exempt from income
76 | P a g e
tax, the maturity amount is tax-free and the main investment is qualifies for a deduction under section
80C of the Income Tax Act. PPF accounts can be opened in banks and post offices.
ii. The interest on PPF accounts is compounded yearly.
2) National Savings Certificates (NSC)
i. NSC certificates can be purchased from post offices. The investment tenure of NSCs is
for 5 to 10 years. NSC is a low-risk, secure investment option. NSCs offer you benefits under Section
80C of the Income Tax Act.
ii.The interest is compounded annually but paid on maturity.
3) Senior Citizen Savings Schemes (SCSS)
i. This saving scheme is meant for people above 60 years of age. People who take voluntary retirement
can also invest in this scheme. Only one deposit, not exceeding Rs. 15 lakh, is allowed in this scheme.
The maturity period is five years. Investment under this scheme qualifies for benefit under Section
80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961. This account can be opened in banks and post offices.
ii. It is payable from the date of deposit of March 31/ September 30/ December 31 in the first instance
and thereafter, interest is payable on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31.
4) Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)
i. KVP is also a long-term savings plan. KVP certificates can be purchased from post offices. The
certificate can be encashed after two-and-a-half years from the date of issue.
ii. The interest on KVP is compounded annually. The amount invested doubles in 118 months (9 years
and 10 months).
5) Sukanya Samriddhi Account
A legal guardian/ natural guardian, on behalf of a girl child, can open this account in post offices or
banks. This account matures in 21 years after you deposit money for 15 years. This scheme gives a
triple income tax benefit i.e. there will be no tax on the amount invested, amount earned as interest
and amount withdrawn. It is compounded and calculated on a yearly basis.
Bank of Baroda raises MCLR by 0.05% for various tenors ; effective from July 7,2018
On July 5, 2018, State-run Bank of Baroda has increased the marginal cost based lending rates (MCLR)
by 0.05 per cent for various tenors of loansThe rates will come into effect from July 7,2018.The rates
are as follows for different tenors:
Tenors New Rates (in %)
Overnight 8
One Month 8.5
Three Months 8.15
Six Months 8.35
One Year 8.50
The rise in MCLR will make retail loans such as auto, home and personal loans costlier for the
customers.
FCNR (Banking) term deposit rates revised by Indian Bank

On July 5, 2018, Public sector Indian Bank revised the interest rates on Foreign Currency Non-
Resident (banking) term deposits with immediate effect.
i. The interest rates for term deposits are as follows:
Term Deposits Rates (in %)
>=1 year and < 2 years 3.59
>=2 years and <3 years 3.77
=5 years 3.93
ii. The bank shares were trading at Rs 337.65 a piece.
77 | P a g e
Yes Asset Management (India) Limited (YAMIL): Yes Bank’s new Mutual Fund business to
operate after Sebi’s final nod
On July 5, 2018, Yes Bank said it has received approval from capital markets regulator SEBI to start
mutual fund business after RBI’s approval.
i. The name of the Mutual Fund business is Yes Asset Management (India) Limited (YAMIL). It will
have its Headquarters in Mumbai.
ii.The operational set up of YAMIL will include technology architecture, partnerships for fund
accounting ,custodian services, registrar services and transfer agent services.
iii.It will leverage YES BANK’s Knowledge Banking expertise and relationship capital across retail,
corporate and institutional investors.
iv. It will further complement Yes Bank’s retail liabilities and wealth management strategy.
v. This will allow YAMIL to build on the bank’s distribution network to provide customers a seamless
investment and banking experience.
vi. Yes Bank has recruited a team to establish the operations under the guidance of the Board of
Directors and trustees.
v. Yes Asset Management will launch fund offerings across the spectrum of both debt and equity
markets over the next 6-12 months.
Fusion Microfinance reduces interest rate by 140 points to 23 pc for existing customers
On July 4, 2018, Fusion Microfinance has reduced the interest rate for its existing customers
by 140 basis points to 23 per cent from 24.4 per cent.
i. The new rate of interest will be effective from June 1, 2018.
ii. This will allow new customers to avail loans at 23.5 per cent now instead of previous 24.6 per cent
rate.
iii. The company had last reduced its rate in November, 2016 by 100 basis points.
About Fusion Microfinance:
i. Fusion is a NBFC-Microfinance institution. It serves over 10 lakh clients through its 375 branches
across 14 states. Since inception it has cumulatively disbursed Rs 4,000 crore.
ii. In the fourth quarter of 2017-18, Fusion Microfinance registered around 70 per cent of yearly
growth.
ICICI Bank crosses Rs. 1.5 trillion milestone in mortgage loan and become largest private
player to do so
On July 4, 2018, ICICI Bank announced that its mortgage loan portfolio crossed the Rs 1.5-
trillion milestone, making it the largest private player in the segment.
i. It is targeting to grow it to Rs 2 trillion by FY20.
ii. At Rs 1.5 trillion, the mortgage loan-book is half of the bank’s overall retail loan portfolio of around
Rs 3 trillion which constitute 52 per cent of its total assets of USD 172.5 billion.
iii. It has also enabled an online repository of 30,000 approved projects across 40 cities to achive its
target of 2 trillion.
iv. The bank will add 50 per cent more loan processing centres from the present 1,050 to many new
locations in tier II and III towns as well as micro-markets of the major metros.
v. This happened on the backdrop of PM Awas Yojana.
About PM Awas Yojana:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is an initiative by Government of India in which affordable
housing will be provided to the urban poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses
by 31 March 2022. It has two components: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the
urban poor and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)(PMAY-G and also PMAY-R) for the rural poor.
HDFC Bank most valuable bank in the emerging market outside China : World’s 500 biggest
companies
78 | P a g e
On July 6, 2018, HDFC Bank overtook Russia’s Sberbank to become the most valuable bank in the
emerging market outside China.
i. HDFC Bank’s current market capitalisation is $78.4 billion against Sberbank’s $74.4 billion.
Position of Banks on a global level:
Bank name M-Cap
JPMorgan Chase (USA) $353 billion
Bank of America $282 billion.
Industrial & Commercial Bank of $273.4 billion
China (China)
China Construction Bank (China) $225.1 billion
ii. There are 11 Indian companies among the world’s 500 biggest firms in terms of market cap and
among them there are four lenders from India that now rank among the world’s 500 most valuable
companies.
The Indian Companies under the list are:
Company M-Cap
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) $103 billion
Reliance Industries
Among the Banks in India:
Bank Name
HDFC Bank
HDFC
Kotak Mahindra Bank
SBI
About HDFC:
i. HDFC Bank has also been one of the top performing major banks globally last year. It has given 14.3
per cent return to its shareholders or equity investors in the past 12 months.
ii. HDFC Bank reported revenues of $15.7 billion in FY18 and net profits of $2.8 billion.
iii. It is currently trading at 4.7 times its latest annual book value, against a global average valuation of
1.3 times. Chinese banks are even cheaper, trading at 0.8 times their book value on an average making
it one of the most expensive banking stocks in the world.
United Bank of India to raise equity capital of Rs 1,500 crore

On 7th July 2018, United Bank of India said that, it will raise up to Rs 1,500 crore by issuing equity
shares in one or more Branches.
i. On 7th July 2018, shareholders of United Bank of India at its annual general meeting, approved the
proposal to create, offer and allot equity shares not exceeding Rs 1,500 crore in one or more tranches.
ii. United Bank of India said that, this capital raise will be surplus to the capital support offered by the
government.
ADB , Power Ministry and Finance Ministry approve lining project of the Son canal in Shahabad
– Bhojpur region of Bihar
On July 10, 2018, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R.K
Singh with the officials from ADB and Finance Ministry reviewed the progress of lining project of
the Son canal in Shahabad – Bhojpur region of Bihar and ADB approved it.
i. ADB and Finance Ministry officials will fix a timeframe for the completion of the project.
ii.The estimated cost of this project is USD 503 million (Rs 3272.49 crore) out of which USD 352
million is being provided by ADB.
India named world’s sixth largest economy by surpassing France: World Bank data
On July 11, 2018, India has become the world’s sixth largest economy overtaking France, according
to World Bank data on gross domestic product (GDP) of countries for 2017.
79 | P a g e
i. India has recorded a GDP of USD 2,597,491 million, followed by USD 2,582,501 of France,
while United Kingdom recorded a GDP of USD 2,622,434 million.
ii. India has recovered from the effects of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
iii. World Bank has predicted the GDP of India in FY2019 to be 7.3%.
iv. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also stated that it expected India to re-emerge as one of the
fastest growing major economies in the 2018 – 2019 period, projecting the country’s growth rate
at 7.4 percent in 2018.
v. Further, the international financial organisation forecasted a rate of growth of 7.8 percent for 2019.
The economies of other countries:
Country GDP in USD
USA US $19.390 trillion
China US $12.237 trillion
Japan US $4.872 trillion
Germany US $3.677 trillion
UK US $2.622 trillion
India $2.597 trillion
France US $2.582 trillion
India becomes 69th shareholder of European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD)
India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(EBRD).
i. This would enable more joint investment with Indian companies across EBRD’s regions of
operation.
ii. The Indian government had applied for membership in the EBRD in December 2017.
iii. The EBRD board of governors that represents all the existing shareholders, voted unanimously in
favour of India’s application in March 2018.
iv. Now, the entire membership process has been completed. Now, India takes a shareholding in the
EBRD. But it will not be a recipient of EBRD financing.
v. EBRD held its inaugural business forum in Mumbai in June 2018. The conference was co-hosted
with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with Export-Import
(EXIM) Bank of India.
vi. It was held under the banner of “Mobilising private sector finance in the EBRD region and how
Indian companies can benefit”.
IDBI Bank raises lending rates by up to 10 bps

On 11th July 2018, IDBI Bank said that, it has increased its lending rates between 5 to 10 basis points
for a few tenures, effective from 12th July 2018.
i. IDBI Bank has increased its one-year marginal cost of funds based lending rates (MCLR) by 10 basis
point to 8.75% from 8.65 %.
ii. The six-month MCLR has been increased by 5 basis points to 8.50 % from 8.45 %.
iii. The three-month and three-year lending rates have been kept unchanged at 8.35 % and 8.80 %,
respectively.
iv. It has reduced its overnight MCLR by 5 basis points to 7.95 % from 8 %. Base rate of IDBI bank has
been increased to9.60 % from 9.50 %.
LPG Subsidy fiasco: Airtel Payments Bank gets RBI, UIDAI nod to resume taking new customers
On 12th July 2018, Airtel Payments Bank said that, it has received required approvals from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) to begin taking new customers.
i. UIDAI (Home – Unique Identification Authority of India) has also allowed Airtel Payments Bank to
use the 12-digit unique identification number (Aadhaar) based e-KYC.
ii. This decision has been taken 7 months after Airtel along with Airtel Payments Bank was alleged for
opening payments bank accounts of its mobile subscribers without their consent, and LPG subsidy
80 | P a g e
worth crores was deposited into these accounts.

iii. RBI thereafter had directed Airtel Payments Bank not to take new customers. UIDAI had
suspended the e-KYC licence of both Airtel and the Airtel Payments bank.
iv. It can accept deposits up to Rs 1 lakh, offer remittance services, mobile
payments/transfers/purchases and other banking services like ATM/debit cards, net banking and
third party fund transfers. It cannot offer loans or issue credit cards.
State Bank of India (SBI) to organise a nation-wide Kisan Mela as an outreach programme for
farmers and to impart financial literacy on July 18,2018
On July 16, 2018, SBI announced that it would launch a kisan Mela outreach program for farmers
on July 18,2018.With an Objective to help in imparting financial literacy to the farmers.
i. This would cover 10 lakh farmers in 14000 rural and semi urban branches.
ii. This initiative will educate the farmer customers about their right and various banking initiatives.
iii. The bank will also issue Kisan Credit Card (KCC) with 10% of enhancement on their credit limit.
iv. It would also help various the farmers on knowing various agri-products of the bank like asset
backed agri-loan, mudra loan and loans on other allied agri activities.
Kisan Credit Card:
It was launched in 1988 to meet comprehensive credit requirements of the agriculture sector by
giving financial support to farmers
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
♦ Launch: 2016
♦ This is a crop insurance scheme.
♦ According to this scheme uniform premium of only 2 per cent is to be paid by farmers for Kharif
crops, and 1.5 per cent for Rabi crops. The premium for annual commercial and horticultural crops
will be 5 per cent.
7th edition of ‘Transformation Series challenge’ to be unveiled by Yes Bank

On July 17, 2018, Yes bank announced that it would unveil the 7th edition of ‘Transformation Series
Challenge’.
i. It has partnered with 12 global leaders like Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Adobe for the collaboration.
ii. The theme is ‘Tech for Urban Development’.
iii. It will focus on Collaborative Innovation – Collaboration as a Service (CaaS) for harnessing
innovative solution from young professionals for issues of national importance.
iv. CaaS is an extension of the bank’s ART (alliances and relationships driven by technology)
philosophy.
v. Reward system: A cash prize of Rs.5 lakh will be awarded to the winning team, followed by Rs.3
lakh and Rs.2 lakh to the runners-up. Finalists will also get an opportunity for pre-placement
interviews with the bank.
India growth forecast cut by 0.1% for 2018 to 7.3%

On July 17, 2018, According to the World Economic Outlook (WEO) update, The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut India’s growth projection by 0.1 percentage point for 2018-19.
i. It now predicts the GDP growth to be 7.3%.
ii. The economy was projected to grow 7.8 per cent by 2019-20 which is now cut to 7.5%.
iii. India still remains the fastest-growing economy among large nations in 2018-19 and 2019-
20.India grew by 6.7% in FY2017-18.
iv. China’s gworth projection for FY 2018-19 is 6.6% and for FY2019-20 is 6.4%.
v.For 2017, Chinas growth rate is 6.9%.
vi.The global GDP growth is expected to be 3.9% in 2018 and 2019.
India’s GDP prediction by other organizations:
♦ World Bank: for 2018 -19 is 7.3% and for 2019-20 is 7.5%
♦ Asian Development Bank: for 2018-19 is 7.3% and for 2019-20 is 7.6%.
81 | P a g e
Rs 11,336 cr capital infusion in 5 PSU Banks approved by Finance Ministry

On July 18, 2018, The Finance Ministry has approved capital infusion of Rs 11,336 crore in 5 public
sector banks.This infusion was done to enable the banks to make interest payments on additional Tier
1 bonds issued by banks.
i. The 5 banks are : Punjab National Bank (PNB), Andhra Bank , Corporation Bank, Indian Overseas
Bank and Allahabad Bank.
ii. This infusion is a part of the remaining Rs.65000 crore of infusion under government’s
announcement of Rs.2.11 lakh crore of credit infusion in banks in 2017.
iii. The infusion is as follows:
Bank name Infusion (in Cr. Rs.)
Punjab National Bank (PNB) 2816
Corporation Bank 2555
Indian Overseas Bank 2157
Andhra Bank 2019
Allahabad Bank 1790
iv .In January 2018, the government had announced that Rs 88,000 crore would be provided as capital
support to 20 state-run banks in FY18.
v. Of this, Rs 80,000 crore was through recapitalisation bonds and Rs 8,139 crore as budgetary
support, while the banks were to raise Rs 10,312 crore from the market.
All-Women J&K Bank branch inaugurated by First Lady Usha Vohra

On July 16, 2018, The first all-women branch of Jammu & Kashmir Bank was inaugurated by the first
lady Usha Vohra at an event at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), in
Srinagar.The chairman of the J&K Bank Mr. Parvez Ahmad, was also present in the inauguration.
i. 13 women staffers of the inaugurated bank were given badges of distinction by the first lady.
ii. Special service given by the bank to women customers include: Pink Gold Saving Scheme, Pink
Platinum Saving Scheme, Special Loan facility for Women Entrepreneurs, Pink Gold Debit Card and
Pink Platinum Credit Card.
iii. These would provide financial inclusion of women, door step facilities to women in remote areas.
iv. J& K has initiated ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme and has enhanced maternity benefits for
working women.
v. Large-scale opportunities to women for skill development in the non-traditional areas, such as
plumbing, carpentry, driving, electrician etc. will also be provided.
Jana Small Finance Bank launches commercial operations

On July 19,2018, Jana Small Finance Bank formerly known as Janalakshmi Financial Services formally
launched its operations.
i. It has 157 branches spread over 19 States, in addition to 402 micro-finance branches and it has
more than 45 lakh existing loan customers loan book of Rs 7,600 crore and would hire 1000 employes
totaling it to 15,000 employess.
ii. The Bank has raised Rs 1,600 crore from investors and aims to add another Rs.300 crore to its
capital.
iii. It has inaugural interest rate offer of 8.5% (9.1% for senior citizens) for 366-day fixed deposits.
Indian Bank raised MCLR by up to 0.10% ; effective from Jul 20

On July 18, 2018, Indian Bank raised MCLR by up to 0.10%.
Tenors Increased Rates (in %)
Overnight 8.05
One Month 8.15
Three Months 8.35
Six Months 8.50
One Year 8.60
82 | P a g e
Three Years 8.80

Five Years 9.05
Recently after RBI raised the repo rate by 25 basis points or 0.25%, other banks like SBI, PNB, ICICI,
HDFC, Karnataka Bank etc. have raised their MCLR rates to 5-10 basis points for various tenors.
About MCLR:
MCLR or Marginal Cost of Lending Rate is the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot
lend except for some special cases stated by RBI. This is linked to repo rate of RBI.
Parliament approved merger of subsidiary banks with SBI; 3 previous bills repealed
On July 20, 2018, With Rajya Sabha clearing the bill of State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill,
2017, Parliament officially approved of the bill to merge SBI with its subsidiaries.
i. The bill repealed the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, and State Bank of Hyderabad
Act, 1956 and amended the State Bank of India (SBI) Act,1955.
ii. This was done for rationalisation of resources, reduction of costs, better profitability, lower cost of
funds leading to better rate of interest for public at large, improved productivity and customer service.
iii. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on July 21, 2017, and
had been passed by the lower house.
iv. The Union Cabinet granted its approval in February 2017, which allowed the SBI to acquire these
subsidiaries.
v. The State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of
Travancore were constituted under the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959.
vi. The State Bank of Hyderabad and the State Bank of Patiala were wholly owned by the State Bank of
India (SBI). The SBI had 90 per cent shareholding in the State Bank of Mysore, 75.07 per cent
shareholding in the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur and 79.09 per cent shareholding in the State
Bank of Travancore.
India’s economic growth remains intact; GDP to grow around 7.5%: FICCI
On 19th July 2018, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) said that, India’s
economic growth remains intact and India’s GDP is expected to grow at 7.5 % in the current financial
year.
i. As per FICCI, the slowing down of industrial output growth in May to 3.2 % and increase in retail
inflation to 5 % in June are short-term challenges that are pro-actively acted on by the government
and the RBI.
ii. FICCI President Rashesh Shah, said that, the industrial output growth would rebound in the next
few months.
iii. The rise in inflation is monitored by RBI. RBI and the government will take necessary steps to
maintain it at manageable levels.
iv. He said that along with GST, reform measures like Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and Real Estate
(Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, are already showing results. They will help to take GDP
growth beyond 8 %.
Federal Bank gets RBI nod to enter Bahrain, Kuwait, Spore

Federal Bank has obtained the regulatory nod from RBI (Reserve Bank of India) to open offices
in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore.
i. Federal Bank is waiting for local clearances to start operations. It already has representative offices
in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
ii. Federal bank will focus more on the unsecured lending segment, where it stands at Rs 380 crore
currently.
Government slashes minimum yearly deposit for Sukanya Samriddhi account to Rs 250
Under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana ,the government has cut the minimum annual deposit
requirement for accounts to Rs 250 from Rs 1,000 earlier.It will enable more number of people to take
83 | P a g e
advantage of the girl child savings scheme.

i. Sukanya Samriddhi scheme was launched in 2015. Till November 2017, more than 1.26 crore
accounts were opened across the country securing an amount of Rs 19,183 crore.
ii. Under the scheme, a parent or legal guardian can open an account in the name of the girl child until
she attains the age of 10 years.
iii. As per the scheme, the account will be valid for 21 years from the date of opening, after which it
will mature and the money will be paid to the girl child in whose name the account has been opened.
iv. The minimum deposit that needs to be made every year is now Rs 250, while the maximum is Rs
1.50 lakh.
Indian banks and financial institutions (FIs) signed an inter-creditor agreement (ICA) to
expedite the resolution of banks’ non-performing assets (NPAs)
On 23rd July 2018, Indian Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said that, Indian banks and financial
institutions (FIs) signed an inter-creditor agreement (ICA) to expedite the resolution of banks’ non-
performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, and enable smooth credit flow.
i. The Inter-Creditor Agreement (ICA) was developed on recommendations by a committee headed
by Punjab National Bank (PNB) Chairman Sunil Mehta under the control of Indian Banks’ Association
(IBA).
ii. It is worked out under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Piyush Goyal informed this, at a
convention organised by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
iii. Most of the entities in the banking system and major NBFCs (non-banking finance companies) like
REC, PFC have joined the ICA.
iv. The ICA is signed by 22 public sector banks, including the India Post Payments Bank, 19 private
sector banks and 32 foreign banks.
v. Also, 12 major financial institutions like LIC and HUDCO have also signed the agreement.Other
private organisations like ICICI Bank will also join the ICA after obtaining approval from their board.
vi. The ICA will act as a platform for banks and financial institutions to come together and take joint
actions for resolution of stressed accounts.
vii. The lender with the highest exposure will be authorised to develop the resolution plan. It will be
then presented to the lenders for their approval and once approved , it will be binding on all the
lenders party to the ICA.
viii. The binding decision will be through approval of the majority lenders defined as those with 66 %
share in the aggregate exposure.The accumulated NPAs in the Indian banking system have crossed Rs
9 lakh crore.
SoftBank and Paytm partner to launch cashless payments service in Japan

On July 27, 2018, SoftBank announced partnership with Paytm to launch a payments service in Japan.
i. The service would be launched by SoftBank’s joint venture company PayPay (with Yahoo Japan).
This was established in June 2018.
ii. It would utilise Paytm’s technology and expertise in mobile payments.
iii. This will promote cashless payment in Japan.
Cash is mainly used for payment in Japan with cashless payments only remaining at 20%.To help and
boost the government’s decision of raising the cashless payment ratio to 40 per cent by 2025 this
decision was taken.
SBI raises retail fixed deposit rates by 5-10 bps with effect from 30th July 2018.
On July 31, 2018, State Bank of India raised its interest rates on fixed deposits by 5-10 basis points on
deposits of below Rs 1 crore.
i. These changes will apply to senior citizens as well.
ii. Interest rates on recurring deposits of SBI are the same as that on FDs.The rates are as follows:
For deposits of below Rs 1 crore:
84 | P a g e
Tenors Revised For Public For Senior Citizens

w.e.f. 30.07.2018
7 days to 45 days 5.75 6.25
46 days to 179 days 6.25 6.75
180 days to 210 days 6.35 6.85
211 days to less than 1 year 6.4 6.9
1 year to less than 2 year 6.7 7.2
2 years to less than 3 years 6.75 7.25
5 years and up to 10 years 6.85 7.35
Between Rs.1 crore and Rs. 10 crore:
Tenors Revised w.e.f Revised for Senior Citizen
30.07.2018 w.e.f. 30.07.2018
7 days to 45 days 5.75 6.25
46 days to 179 days 6.25 6.75
180 days to 210 days 6.35 6.85
1 year to less than 2 years 6.7 7.2
5 years and upto 10 years 6.85 7.35
More than Rs. 10 crore:
Tenors Revised w.e.f. Revised for Senior Citizen w.e.f.
30.07.2018 30.07.2018
7 days to 45 days 5.75 6.25
46 days to 179 days 6.25 6.75
180 days to 210 days 6.35 6.85
1 Year to less than 2 year 6.7 7.2
5 years and up to 10 years 6.85 7.35
MOU’S & AGREEMENTS IN NEWS

Odisha, RIMES sign MoU for effective disaster management
On 29th June 2018, the Odisha government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for effective management of
disasters.
i. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) signed an MoU with RIMES for
improving early warning system for effective management of all types of disasters in Odisha.
ii. This agreement will lead to development and pilot implementation of decision support systems for
automating risk assessment, advisory generation and dissemination.
iii. This will enable OSDMA to assess and manage risks from flood, tsunami, drought, heat wave,
lightning and road accidents.
iv. These tools will be built with open-source software platforms and public domain data sets, with
complete involvement of OSDMA and its line departments and collaborating agencies.
v. Initially, the agreement will remain in act for 5 years with a cost involvement of nearly Rs 8 crore.
vi. RIMES and OSDMA collaboration will contribute to global efforts for increasing the availability and
85 | P a g e
access to multi-hazard early warning systems as per the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction 2015-2030.
vii.The agriculture department also signed 3 more MoUs for welfare of farmers and to improve their
production.
viii. An MoU on Doubling Farmers’ Income in Odisha Intervention will help 2 lakh small and marginal
farmers in the next 3 years in 9 districts of Odisha.
ix. An MoU on the promotion of ecologically sound agricultural practices and water management was
signed to restore common land and water bodies through village institutions and federations in all the
districts of Odisha.
x. An MoU was signed to promote competition among farmers and agricultural workers to develop
innovations in agriculture and to reduce the workload of farmers, especially the workload of women
in farming.
About Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES):
♦ Based in – Thailand
♦ Type – UN registered international and inter-governmental institution
♦ Owned & Managed by – 48 members and collaborating states
♦ Purpose – building capacities in the generation and application of user-relevant early warning
information
BSE & BME tie-up to develop commodity derivatives markets

On June 30,2018, Premier stock exchange BSE has entered into an agreement with the Bombay Metal
Exchange (BME) for the growth and systematic development of commodity derivatives markets.With
an Objective to deepen the understanding of commodity market among stakeholders.
i. With its domain knowledge and unique stakeholders ranging from importers, traders to corporates,
the BME will assist the BSE in designing new and innovative deliverable products in commodities
like aluminium, copper, zinc, nickel and lead among others.
ii. The BSE can take advantage of the expertise of the stock exchange’s educational programmes to
enter the commodities markets .
iii. The agreement will also help in launching new and innovative products, adding more value to the
existing commodities value chain and ecosystem with the objective of developing and strengthening
commodity derivatives market.
NSE & Nasdaq to work together for post-trade delivery technology

On July 2, 2018, NSE signs an agreement with Nasdaq for a suitable platform and technology backbone
to effectively tap post–trade delivery capabilities.They also signed an MoU on business opportunities
across listings, corporate and market services and data and innovations in products, processes and
technology.
i. Earlier, NSE’s current clearing and settlement system operated by National Securities Clearing
Corporation Limited (NSCCL).
ii. Under this agreement, Nasdaq will deliver a customised real-time clearing, risk management and
settlement technology to one of the world’s largest stock exchanges.
iii. It has also sealed a deal with NSE IT to make use of its capability in implementations and project
augmentation globally.
iv. The state-of-the-art architecture using Nasdaq Financial Framework, will enable all asset classes to
be cleared and settled in one system.
Repatriation of Bru persons: agreement signed between Centre and state govts of Tripura nd
Mizoram
On July 5, 2018, The Centre and the state governments of Tripura and Mizoram signed an agreement
for repatriation of thousands of people belonging to the Bru community from Tripura to Mizoram.
i.The Mou was signed among the Government of India, Governments of Mizoram and Tripura and
Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) in New Delhi.
86 | P a g e
ii. The pact was signed in the presence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Tripura Chief Minister Beb
and Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.
iii. A committee under the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry, Rina Mitra, will
coordinate the implementation of this agreement
iv. 32,876 people belonging to 5,407 families living in the refugee camps in the Jampui Hills of
Tripura for two decades are being replaced to their home state. The replaced people will be
repatriated to Mizoram before September 30, 2018.
About Bru Refugees:
The displaced Bru people from Mizoram have been living in various camps in Tripura since 1997. In
1997, the murder of a Mizo forest guard at the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram’s Mamit district
allegedly by Bru militants led to a violent backlash against the community, forcing several thousand
people to flee to neighbouring Tripura.
British Council & West Bengal govt. sign MoU on cultural, edu exchange
On July 6 2018 ,The MoU has signed between British Council in India Director Alan Gemmell OBE and
state Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya to promoting cultural, educational and skill development
exchanges between UK and west Bengal in presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
i.Due to the British Council’s 70th anniversary in India , it is focused on English language training in
the school system and higher education ,Research collaboration and capacity building in higher
education and cultural collaboration between the UK and the state.
ii. Celebration of Durga Puja in Britain during Thames Festival and similarly hosting of a River Festival
in Kolkata to the Thames.
iii. Exchanging visitors between Britain and Bengal for cultural exchanges.
iv. Communication Skill development in English and enrichment of employability of youth.
Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu becomes first Chairman of Rajya Sabha to sign an MOU with Rwanda
On July 10, 2018, Shri Venkaiah Naidu became the first Chairman of Rajya Sabha to sign MOU with the
visiting President of the Senate of the Republic of Rwanda, Mr. Bernard Makuza on his visit during 09
to 11, July 2018.This is the first time that Rajya Sabha entered into an MOU in its 76 years of existence.
i. The three Senator delegation from Rwanda led by Shri Makuza is the first such a delegation
exclusively from the Upper House of any country to visit India.
ii. Dignitaries include Senators Ms. Gertrude Kazarwa, Deputy Chairperson of the Senate Committee
on Political Affairs and Good Governance and Ms. Therese Kagoyire Vishagara, Member of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security.
iii. 6 articles of cooperation seeking to promote Inter-Parliamentary dialogue, Capacity building of
parliamentary staff, Organisation of conferences, forums, seminars, staff attachment programmes,
workshops and exchanges, Collaboration in mutual interest in regional and international multilateral
parliamentary bodies.
Microsoft & Rajasthan govt sign MOU for digital training to 9,500 students
On July 10, 2018, Microsoft has signed an MoU with the Rajasthan government to provide free digital
training to 9,500 college students for one year.With an Objective to enhance of digital learning and
capacity building of college students in the state.
i.The MoU was signed for one year.The company will run MS office specialist training programme
in 50 government colleges from August which will benefit 9,500 students.
ii. Successful participants will also be given certificates.Microsoft will also train educators from
government colleges through the Microsoft Innovative Educator Programme, building capacity for
innovative use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the classroom.
iii.The state government had signed MoU with IGNOU for nearly two dozen courses on skill
development in which 16,500 students are enrolled.
87 | P a g e
DGFASLI and GMB sign MOU for improving working conditions in the ship recycling yards at
Alang
On July 11, 2018, The Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI)
and Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at New
Delhi.
i. This was done in the Ministry of Labour & Employment in presence of Minister of State
(Independent Charge) Labour & Employment Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Minister of State,
Shipping Shri Mansuksh Mandaviya.
ii. Secretary, Labour & Employment Shri Heeralal Samariya and Secretary Shipping Shri Gopal Krishna
were also present on this occasion.With an Objective to bring changes in working of ship recycling
industry and to improve safety and health of the workers and supervisors in Alang.
iii. The MOU was signed between Dr. Avneesh Singh, Director General, DG FASLI and Vice Chairman,
Shri Ajay Bhandoo from GMB.
iv. The MOU will augment the activities in the field of OSH, especially in training of workers and
supervisors of Ship Recycling Yards in Alang, Gujarat.
v. It will also help in improving the working conditions and quality of work life of workers, thereby
improving the image of industry world-over.
vi. This will also contribute in prevention of occupational injuries and diseases.
India, UK to take forward the exchange of legal practitioners: MoU signed for enhancing
bilateral cooperation in legal affairs
Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & IT, India, Ravi Shankar Prasad visited United Kingdom
from 6th to 10th July 2018 at the invitation of Mr. David Gauke, Secretary of State for Justice, UK. The
two Ministers signed a MoU for improving bilateral cooperation in legal affairs.
i. Both the Ministers discussed on improving the exchange of legal practitioners on the basis of
reciprocity as per the prevailing legal provisions in their respective countries.
ii. The two Ministers signed a MoU for improving bilateral cooperation in legal affairs which, also
offers a framework for promoting greater co-operation between the judicial and legal professionals in
both countries through exchange of expertise and training, exchange of information related to current
issues of international significance.
iii. The MoU also involves establishment of a Joint Consultative Committee to enable such exchange.
iv. Ravi Shankar Prasad also met Mr.Jermy Wright, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sports.
v. He also chaired a Round Table of leading Indian and UK IT firms jointly organised by NASSCOM
with its counterpart TechUK.
vi. Representatives from Indian IT companies like Wipro, Infosys ,TCS etc. and UK companies like
WNS, First Source, BBC, NTT, etc. took part in the event.
MoU on Defence Salary Package signed between Indian Army and State Bank of India (SBI)
On 12th July 2018, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Indian Army and SBI
(State Bank of India)on the Defence Salary Package.
i. The signing-in ceremony was chaired by the Director General (MP&PS), Lt Gen SK Saini.Senior
officials of SBI headed by Ranjan Kumar Mishra, CGM (PB), Corporate Centre, State Bank Bhawan,
Mumbai, were also present.
ii.In 2011, the first MoU between SBI and the Indian Army was signed. It was renewed on
23rd February 2015.
iii. The revised MoU is customized to meet the requirements of serving soldiers, pensioners and
families.
iv. Various additional facilities have been added in the revised MoU like free personal accident death
cover, free permanent total disablement cover and other accidental benefits to the deceased soldier
and family.
v. This MoU will benefit serving and retired Army personnel who have their accounts with SBI.
88 | P a g e
vi. This MoU will be valid till 3rd Jan 2019. After that, the continuation will be subject to review.
SBI, NABARD tie up to support tenant farmers in Telangana

On July 12,2018, State Bank of India and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development have
joined hands to provide collateral-free credit in Telangana.
i. The Mou was signed with seven NGOs from Nizamabad, Medak and Warangal districts, for the
promotion and credit linkage of the JLGs.
ii. The tripartite agreement was signed by Swaminathan J, CGM, SBI, and P Radhakrishnan, CGM,
Nabard.
iii. This was given through 2000 Joint Liability Groups in the state.
iv. Through this agreement NABARD will assist the NGOs to nurture and handholding of the JLGs to
help tenant farmers, share croppers etc.
v. SBI will provide the collateral free credit support to the groups promoted by NGOs.
Background:
♦ This Agreement comes against the Ryuthu Bandhu scheme launched by the Telangana government
in May under which Rs.4000 will be provided per acre to the farmers .
♦ However this scheme does not cover tenant farmers.
University of Houston & Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) sign MOU for
collaboration
On July 15, 2018, The University of Houston and Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy
(IIPE) signed an MOU on mutual collaboration on various fields.With an Objective to build scientific
and technical knowledge through joint research.
i. The agreement covers collaboration in the following ways:
 In areas such as faculty exchanges, especially in subsea engineering, offshore and onshore
petroleum engineering, process controlsystems and process safety in all chemical
engineering fields and non-conventional energy areas.
 Joint academic event and activities, including short courses, seminars, workshops and/or
conferences.
ii. The two institutes may also explore research and projects involving distance and computer-based
learning.
India and Ghana sign 2 MoUs to improve bilateral cooperation

On 18th July 2018, India and Ghana signed 2 agreements to improve the bilateral cooperation between
India and Ghana.
i. 2 MOUs on Cultural Exchange Programme and on cooperation between Bureau of Indian
Standards and Ghana Standards Authority were signed.
ii. On 16th July 2018, Shirley Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of
Ghana, arrived on a four-day visit to India.
iii. She met Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and held delegation-level talks.
iv. They discussed on improving cooperation in development cooperation, capacity building, trade
and investment and people-to-people relationship.
v. Ghana is one of India’s important partners in West Africa. India is the second largest investor in
Ghana.
WB govt & NHA sign MOU to implement Ayushman Bharat scheme

On July 21, 2018, West Bengal government signed an agreement to implement the Ayushman Bharat-
National Health Protection Mission with the National Health Agency (NHA).
i. West Bengal health department principal secretary Anil Verma signed this agreement.
ii. According to this, the scheme would be implemented through a “mixed mode” of third-party
insurance and state-run trust, Indu Bhushan.
iii. Also under this, the state government would expand the number of beneficiaries under its existing
89 | P a g e
health scheme to more than 11 million families.

iv. So far, 26 states, including Andhra Pradesh, have signed agreements to implement AB-NHPM.
Indian Government signs a MoU with United Kingdom to obtain help in improving overall
public transport system in India
Indian Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United Kingdom to
obtain help in enhancing overall public transport system in India.
i. The MoU was signed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, India, and Transport for
London (TFL) to develop public transport in India.
ii. Transport for London (TFL) is a statutory body formed under the Greater London Authority Act,
1999 (UK).
iii. This MoU will to share information and areas of cooperation like improving the public transport
system with an augmentation of passenger capacity, passenger services, data analysis, induction of
electric vehicles, introduction of technology, ticketing and the provision of passenger information,
urban transport planning and policy, institutional organisation of transport, governance and
accountability arrangements, project financing, strategy, and procurement methodologies, policy
development and assessment of technology strategies, operations procurement and contracting,
Infrastructure maintenance strategies, Infrastructure design and delivery etc.
iv. Also, this MoU will help to strengthen the integrated public transport for all. This will help people
from all segments of society to access a quality public transport system.
v. Also, it will help in launching innovative practices like digital payments, standardizing the design of
the buses, use of technology for demand projection and route rationalization to enhance efficiency of
public transport operations.
vi. This information was provided by the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping
and Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh L Mandaviya.
Oxigen announces signs MOU with Fincare Small Finance Bank for partnership in branchless
banking
On July 25, 2018, Oxigen and Fincare Small Finance Bank signed an agreement to start
Branchless Banking services, using Oxigen’s flagship Point of Sale device called the Oxigen Micro ATM
Super PoS.
i. Fincare Small Finance Bank would offer bill payment services through internet and mobile banking,
also it would expand other services like POS, network, micro-ATMs, pre-paid cards, BBPS, UPI
and Bharat QR and Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS).
ii. Oxigen would take Fincare’s banking solution to the unbanked/underbanked segments.Through
this tie up Fincare’s business would be enhanced by setting up Business Correspondent outlets at
Oxigen Retail Touchpoints, as well as expand its product and service offerings.
About Oxigen Micro ATM Super PoS:
It does real-time branchless banking, merchant payments, and services.
Invest India, Business France sign MoU to promote investment in the private sector
On July 26, 2018, Invest India and Business France have signed an MoU to promote investment and
cooperation between startups of India and France.With an Objective to promote business and startup
ecosystem between the two countries
i. Under the MOU, joint activities and exchange will take place in the French and Indian private
sector.
ii. It would promote direct foreign investment by providing practical investment information to
enterprises which would help in economic growth.
iii.It is the official Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of the Government of India.
Headquarters:
MD CEO: Deepak Bagla.
About Business France:
90 | P a g e
♦ Business France is an executive agency of the French government under the Minister for Economic
Affairs and Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development.
♦ It has a network of 80 Trade Commissions, has worked with over 7,500 SMEs & mid-caps during
2017.
Odisha signs MoU with Sightsavers to strengthen education for blind students
On July 27, 2018, Odisha government signed an MoU with global organization Sightsavers to prevent
avoidable blindness .With an Objective to strengthen education for the blind students.
i.The Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) signed this MoU with Sightsavers.
ii. This project would benefit 25,000 visually impaired and 1.3 lakh students with special needs,
currently enrolled in general schools of the state.
iii. Sightsavers will provide technical support to OPEPA in strengthening education of the blind and
low vision children.
iv. It will include disability management, low vision assessment, curriculum and special skill
development, capacity building.
v. It will demonstrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based education, low vision
devices, daisy players, tablets, accessible education materials, disabled friendly Teaching Learning
Materials (TLM).
Invest India and UAE Ministry sign MoU for technological cooperation
On 27th July 2018, Invest India and the UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for India – UAE Artificial Intelligence Bridge in New Delhi.
i. This partnership will produce an estimated USD 20 billion in economic benefits in the next ten years
for India and UAE.
ii. This MoU will enhance development in Blockchain, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Analytics. By
2035 AI can potentially add USD 957 billion to the Indian economy.
iii. The MoU was signed at the India leg of GovHack series of World Government Summit. Indian
Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu and H.E. Ahmad Sultan Al Falahi,
Minister Plenipotentiary – Commercial Attache, were present
iv. The UAE-India collaboration will convene a UAE-India AI Working Group (TWG) between the UAE
Ministry for Artificial Intelligence, Invest India and Startup India.
v. The TWG meeting will be held once in a year with an aim to increase investment in AI startups and
research activities in partnership with the private sector.
Some facts about India – UAE ties:
♦ UAE is India’s third largest trading partner
♦ Indians constitute the largest expat community in the UAE at 27%
♦ UAE has invested more than USD 5.3 billion in India
♦ UAE has committed USD 75 billion for infrastructure development in India.
PSUs BEML and HEC sign pact to manufacture mining equipment

On July 31, 2018, BEML, HEC sign pact for making mining equipment.
i. The MoU will result into additional Rs 150-200 crore revenue for both PSUs.It will delivery time,
reduce working capital and create capability for high capacity equipment.
ii. The mining products could be co-branded and will come under ‘Make in India’ initiative.
iii. Coal India is a major client for these mining equipment.
91 | P a g e
COMMITTEES & MEETINGS

Ravindra Dholakia committee: Government forms panel to upgrade norms for state, district
level economic data collection
On July 1,2018, The government has set up a 13-member committee for Sub-National Accounts will be
headed by Ravindra H Dholakia, a retired professor of IIM Ahmedabad.With an Objective to upgrade
the norms for computation of economic data at states and districts level to revise the base year for
National Accounts or GDP calculation.
i. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) will change the base year
to 2017-18 for the calculation of GDP and IIP numbers from the current 2011-12 with an aim to
capture changes in the economy.
ii. It would review the concepts, definitions, classifications, data conventions, data sources and data
requirements for preparation of State Domestic Product (SDP) and District Domestic Product (DDP).
iii. It will also suggest measures for improving SDP and DDP in the country, suggest state-level
annual/benchmark surveys.
iv. It was suggested that same principles and concepts should be used while calculating SDP and DDP
across the country to make data comparable.The panel would submit its report within one year.
About Central Statictics Office (CSO):
The Central Statistics Office (CSO), MOSOPI, revises the base year of the macroeconomic indicators, as
a regular exercise, to capture structural changes in the economy and improve the quality and
representativeness of the indices. The CSO had last updated base year for GDP calculation to 2011-12
from January 2015, replacing the old series base year of 2004-05
9th meeting of Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Indo-Nepal relations held in Kathmandu.
On July 2, 2018, The 9th and final meeting of Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on India-Nepal relations
concluded in Kathmandu.From the Indian side was Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Jayant Prasad, Bhuvan
Chandra Upreti and Mahendra P. Lama.The Nepalese side was represented by Bhekh Bahadur Thapa,
Nilamber Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyay.
i. They discussed on various bilateral issues including 1950 Peace and Friendship treaty, trade, transit
and border.
ii. The Group will submit the joint report prepared in the two day meeting to the respective Prime
Ministers of the countries involved.
About EPG Meeting:
♦ The EPG is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from India and Nepal.
♦ It was set up in February 2016 to make suggestions for updating all existing bilateral treaties and
agreements between both the countries.
♦ The EPG is completing its two-year tenure next month.
5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional MinisterialMeeting

held in Tokyo, Japan
On 1st July 2018, the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional
Ministerial Meeting was held in Tokyo, Japan.
i. Ministers from 16 countries: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand took part in the meeting.
ii. Japanese Prime Minister Abe, Singapore Minister and Chairman of ASEAN, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, and
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi led the formal opening.
iii. Discussions were held on the developments since the 4th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting
on 3rd March 2018 in Singapore, outcomes of the 22nd round of negotiations held on 28 April – 8 May
2018 in Singapore, intersessional meetings of selected working groups and sub-working groups and
the 4th RCEP Intersessional TNC and Related Meetings held on 25-29 June 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.
iv. The Ministers reaffirmed to work together to achieve an agreement that will enable economies of
different levels of development to actively participate in and benefit from an open and inclusive
92 | P a g e
regional economic integration.

v. The Ministers agreed to focus on finding breakthroughs for conclusion of the RCEP negotiations, in
line with the RCEP Leaders’ mandate in 2017.
vi. The Ministers tasked negotiators to focus efforts on achieving a package of year-end outcomes.
About Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP):
♦ RCEP negotiations commenced in – 2013
♦ Aim of RCEP negotiations – to achieve a modern, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually
beneficial economic partnership agreement among the ASEAN Member States and ASEAN’s FTA
partners.
Kathmandu : Conclusion of 2nd meeting of India & Nepal joint working group on tourism
On July 6, 2018, The 2nd meeting of the joint working group on tourism cooperation between India
and Nepal concluded in Kathmandu.
i. Both sides agreed to jointly promote Buddhist and Ramayana circuits and Adventure tourism.
ii. This is first of its kind cooperation mechanism in the region wherein any two countries have agreed
to promote each other’s’ tourist destinations.
iii. The group also decided to establish Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum which would be an industry-led
cooperation forum with support of the two Governments.
iv. Also, agreement was made on improving critical tourism & enabling infrastructures such as
overland road connectivity, further streamline of scheduled bus route operations including luxury bus
coaches.
v. The Indian delegation was led by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Suman Billa.Nepalese side
was led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ghanshyam Upadhyaya.
About the joint working group:
i. The group was formed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal in 2014 to enhance
cooperation in tourism between the two countries.
ii. The next meeting of the group would be held in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date.
First meeting of Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on using MGNREGA to improve agriculture held
at NITI Aayog
On July 12,2018, The First Meeting of Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on coordination between
MGNREGA and Agriculture was held at NITI Aayog.This group has been constituted by PM Narendra
Modi.
i. The Convener of the Sub-Group Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,West Bengal.
ii. Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog Prof. Ramesh Chand, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog;
Secretary, Rural Development; Chief Executive Officer, NRAA, Senior Officers of NITI Aayog, Ministry
of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Agriculture and State Government of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh attended the deliberations.
i. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh suggested use of MGNREGA funds in supplementing labour costs in
agriculture and fencing of farm land to protect it from wild animals, etc.
ii. Discussions on 5 critical areas of:
reducing the cost of cultivation,
enhancing the production through efficient use of water or other inputs,
providing remunerative price to farmers by incentivizing aggregation and market infrastructure,
rehabilitation of agricultural land and assets after natural hazards or re-plantation using MGNREGA
fund ,
bringing diversity in agriculture to help occupational diversification and maximizing profit.
iii. These areas were to be enhanced using the MGNREGA Fund.
iv. For discussion of these issues with stakeholders, 5 regional meetings/workshops would be
organized one each at Patna, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Guwahati and New Delhi.
v. NITI Aayog, in consultation with Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture and
93 | P a g e
State Governments will finalize the regional meetings.

vi. These regional meetings will be completed before 15th of August, 2018.
vii. The next meeting of the Sub-Group will be held on 31st August,2018.
viii. In the 4th Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister on June 17th, 2018 at Rastrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, a major decision was taken
for constitution of Sub group committee.
ix. This consists of Chief Ministers of 7 States viz. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Sikkim and Member, NITI Aayog with the Chief Minister of Madhya
Pradesh as the convener of the Sub-Group.
x. Aim of the group is to work on policy coordination between agriculture sector and Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) particularly in pre-sowing and post-
harvest activities at the farmers’ fields.
10 Member Committee to review Companies Act 2013 constituted by Ministry of Corporate

affairs
On July 15, 2018, The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) constituted a 10 Member Committee,
headed by the Secretary of Ministry of Corporate Affairs to review Companies Act 2013.With
an Objective to review penal provisions of the act and to examine ‘de-criminalisation’ of certain
offences.
i. The committee is headed by the Secretary and will have 8 members and 1 member secretary.
ii. They would examine the nature of all ‘acts’ having fine and or imprisonment and whether they can
be considered ‘civil wrongs’.
iii. They would decide if the non-compoundable act under the Companies Act 2013 can be made
compoundable.
iv. This decriminalization would help the trial courts to focus on serious offences.
v. They would also take necessary steps in formulation of draft changes in the law.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs:
♦ Union Minister : Arun Jaitley
♦ Minister Of state: P. P. Choudhury.
8th session of India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting Begins in Muscat

On 16th July 2018, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, co-
chaired the 8th session of India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) along with Minister of
Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy of Oman,Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, in Mu scat,
Oman.
i.Suresh Prabhu invited Omani companies to invest in India and benefit from ‘Make in India’ and
‘Invest India’ programmes that aim to promote manufacturing.
ii. He said that India and Oman are interested to collaborate in energy, health, business, finance and
investments, infrastructure, travel and tourism sectors.
iii. Discussions were held on: cooperation in space, renewable energy, start-up, SMEs, food security,
including durable foods and packaging, services sector, tourism sector, exchange of ideas and visit of
young entrepreneurs.
iv. Suresh Prabhu said that the Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India in the Gulf.
v. India Oman bilateral trade has recorded a growth from US$4131.69 million in 2014-15 to US$
6703.76 million in 2017-18.
vi. India’s export to Oman has increased from US$ 2379.44 million to US$ 2439.46 million in 2017-18.
vii. He said that, remarkable contributions of Indians and People of Indian Origin in Oman have been
honored by Indian Government’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards.
viii. Indian financial institutions like State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Ltd and ICICI
94 | P a g e
Securities and Public Sector Undertakings like Air India, Life Insurance Corporation(LIC), New India
Assurance Co., Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd.(TCIL), Engineers India Ltd.(EIL),
Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL) and National Building Construction Company (NBCC)
operate in Oman.
7th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative : Indo-US delegation meeting on Defence
Cooperation held in New Delhi
On July 18, 2018, The ministry of Defence announced that Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation,
the 7th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting was held between India and the US
delegation in New Delhi.Aim is to bring focus to the bilateral defence trade relationship and for co-
production and co-development of defence equipment.
i.The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary, Defence Production, Dr Ajay Kumar (From the Indian Side)
and Ellen M Lord , Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, US Government (From
the US side).
ii. US has designated India as a ‘Major Defence Partner’. Discussions on the formulation of a Standard
Operating Procedure and the Industrial Security Annex under DTTI was held.
iii. Establishment of Joint Working Groups has been made under DTTI to progress mutually agreed
projects for the armed forces.The joint working group under the Air Force is working on the
surveillance platform .
About Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting :
i. DTTI is an important forum leading to the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries.
ii. The meetings are held twice a year, alternately in India and the USA.
India-US resolve to enhance cooperation in counter-terror, aviation security

On 18th July 2018, senior security officials of India and the United States held a meeting on Homeland
Security Dialogue in Delhi.
i. India and United States resolved to improve cooperation in counter-terror, immigration and
aviation security.
ii. The Homeland Security Dialogue focused on issues related to security cooperation, customs and
immigration, aviation security, capacity building.
iii. India and United decided to work on addressing these issues. The discussions were held in a
friendly atmosphere.
iv. It was agreed to maintain sustained interactions to improve security cooperation between India
and United States.
v. The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Rajni Sekhri Sibal.
vi. The US delegation was led by James McCament, Deputy Under Secretary, Department of Homeland
Security.
vii. India and US are in the process of creating a list of terror fugitives. They have agreed on the names
of individuals for the Global Entry Programme (GEP) under the Homeland Security Presidential
Directive-6 (HSPD-6) Agreement.
viii. The HSPD-6 pact enables sharing of terror-related information. The GEP exempts important
citizens from immigration checks.
J P Nadda addresses 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting at Durban, South Africa
On 20th July 2018, J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, addressed the 8th BRICS
Health Ministers’ Meeting held in Durban, South Africa.
i. J P Nadda in his address said that, India is committed to eliminate TB by 2025.
ii. He said that India is committed to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as articulated in its
National Health Policy.
iii. He stated that to achieve the vision of UHC, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently
launched the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ (Long Live India) programme.
iv. Through the Health and Wellness Centres the programme aims to provide comprehensive primary
95 | P a g e
healthcare services and National Health Protection Mission for secondary and tertiary care aims to
cover nearly 100 million families.
v. He said that India’s achievement in reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556
per 100000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 100 000 live births in 2016 was commended by Regional
Director, WHO SEARO.
vi. With this achievement India is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target
of MMR below 70 by 2030.
vii. He added that, schemes like Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, enabling women to
access antenatal check-ups, obstetric gynaecologists and to track high-risk pregnancies, etc.,
and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram have been rolled out.
viii. He said that in order to reduce the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD)s, India has
already begun universal screening for prevention and management of 5 common NCDs including
hypertension, diabetes and 3 common cancers of oral cavity, breast and cervix throughout India.
ix. He said that India has started AMRIT (Affordable Medicines & Reliable Implants for Treatment)
Deendayal pharmacies to offer medicines for cancer, cardiovascular diseases and cardiac implants at
low price.
7th Annual General Body Meeting of Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development
(ITRHD)was held in New Delhi
On July 21, 2018, The 7th Annual General Body Meeting of Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and
Development (ITRHD), took place in New Delhi.
i. This meeting was aimed at recognizing efforts of preservation of Indian Heritage and Culture in
Rural India and working in about 7 states of India by ITRHD.
ii. ITRHD is an NGO who has done conservational work on 17th -19th century village of terracotta
temples, Maluti, dumka, in Jharkand, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra
Modi.
iii. The project involved conserving 62 temples of the 108 temples.
iv. The project costed about Rupees 6.57 Crores.
First Meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border HaatsHeld in Agartala

On 22-23 July 2018, The first meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border Haats was
held in Agartala, Tripura.The meeting reveal about the positive impact of Border Hatts on the
livelihoods of the people living in areas around the Haats.
i. Other issues related to review of operations of the four functional Border Haats and suggestions for
improvement, timeline for setting up the six additional Border Haats.
ii. The next meeting would be held in Bangladesh on mutually agreed dates.
iii. The Joint Committee visited the Border Haat at Kamlasagar (Sipahijala District, Tripura) – Tarapur
(Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh).
iv. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Border Haats between India and Bangladesh signed
on 8th April 2017 provides for establishment of a Joint Committee to review the border haats
operations, suggest modifications in the operational modalities and propose new locations of Border
Haats.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik set up a committee headed by Finance Minister S B
Behera for Odia film industry
On July 24, 2018, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik set up ministerial committee headed
by Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera to draft policies for development of Odia film industry,
known as Ollywood.
i. Other members of the committee include: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Prafulla
Samal and Industries Minister Ananta Das.
ii. Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Sanjeev Chopra will be Convener of the committee.
iii. It would suggest the steps to be taken to revive the film industry and also for renovation of the
96 | P a g e
Kalinga Studio, located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

iv. It has been asked to submit its report within a month.
v. According to the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) estimates, only seven were hits
from 37-odd films released in 2013. Around 34 Odia films were released in 2017.
vi. The industry had incurred total loss to be around Rs 10 crore.
Rs 1,754.14 crore sanctioned by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh under the
National Dairy Plan (NDP) to enhance productivity of milch animals
On July 24, 2018, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh announced that the government
has sanctioned Rs 1,754.14 crore under National Dairy Plan (NDP).With an Objective to enhance
productivity of milch animals.
i. 530 sub-projects have been approved by 169 state and district level cooperatives, producer
companies and livestock development boards of 18 states.
ii. This comprises 62 sub-projects for animal breeding, 167 sub-projects for animal nutrition and 231
sub-projects for Village Based Milk Procurement Systems (VBMPS)
iii.378.98 million high-quality semen doses produced.Inclusion of 29.94 lakh milch animals in 32,578
villages under the nutrition balancing programme.
iv.2,593 bulk milk coolers and 21,711 automated milk collection unit has been installed.
Enrollment of 13.24 lakh additional farmersof 39,956 villages under the VBMPS.
National Diary Plan:
♦ The Government of India has approved National Dairy Plan Phase- I (NDP-I) with an outlay of Rs.
2,242 Crore for implementation during 2011-12 to 2018-19 as a Central Sector Scheme.
♦ The Scheme is implemented through National Dairy Development Board.
♦ NDP-I is being implemented in the 18 major milk producing States constituting 90% of the milk
production.
♦ Launch Year: 2011.
2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan held
in New Delhi
On 24th July 2018, the 2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN
Abhiyaan was held in New Dehli.
i. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). It was held
under the Chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
ii. The programme uses technology to reduce the level of Stunting, Under-nutrition, Anemia and Low
Birth Weight in Children. It also focuses on Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers.
iii. Ministry of Women and Child Development along with National Institute of Nutrition is developing
an on-line course for nutrition.These courses will be hosted independently by Ministry of Women and
Child Development (POSHAN Abhiyaan) and National Institute of Nutrition portals.
iv. POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to assure service delivery and interventions through technology.POSHAN
Abhiyaan has created a peoples’ movement named Jan Andolan on Nutrition.
v. The caller tune and ringtone of the POSHAN Abhiyaan to popularize POSHAN Abhiyaan’s goal
of Sahi Poshan Desh Roshan was released during the meeting.
vi. 4 protocol booklets of Yoga were prepared with help of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga
(MDNIY).
vii. It was informed that an MoU would be signed between NASSCOM Foundation and Ministry of
Women and Child Development to launch and execute POSHAN Abhiyaan in all 36 States/UTs.
viii. Also, Dr.Vinod K Paul, Member, Health & Nutrition, NITI Aayog mentioned National Nutrition
Month will be celebrated in September annually.
About POSHAN Abhiyaan:
Full form of POSHAN – Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonize Actions for
Nutrition in India
Launched – 8th March 2018 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
97 | P a g e
The National Green Tribunal formed a monitoring committee on cleaning of the Yamuna.
On July 26, 2018, The National Green Tribunal formed a monitoring committee for Yamuna
Rejuvenation Project.With an Objective to submit an action plan for cleaning of Yamuna.
i. B S Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra has been appointed as members of the
committee.
ii. The committee has been asked to submit the report by December 31,2018.
iii. This decision was taken by a bench headed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson A K
Goel .
iv. State governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh has been asked to cooperate the committee on
this issue.
About ‘Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project’:
The Phase-I of the clean Yamuna project aims to lower the pollution levels in the Najafgarh and Delhi
Gate drains, while Phase-II deals with Shahdara, Barapullah, and other drains.
IRDAI has constituted a 16-member committee for the first time to monitor third party pricing
and premium rates
On July 26, 2018, for the first time a 16 member committee has been formed by Insurance
regulator IRDAI.With an Objective to examine motor third party insurance pricing and make
recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20.
i. IRDAI member – P.J. Joseph is the chairman of the committee .
ii. Other members include 2 senior officials of IRDAI , one each from Centre’s Department of Financial
Services and Ministry of Road transport and Highways and 5 members from general insurance
companies.
iii. It also includes other members from All India Motor Transport Corporation (AIMTC), Bus
Operators Corporation of India, Federation of India Automobile Association, Consumer Voice, General
Insurance Council, Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIBI).
iv.Due to the 25% hike in third party premium that was caused by the IRDAI’s rates in March 2018-
19, the cargo transporters had a strike. This committee will look at the categorization of cargo vehicles
and would merge a few categories.
Uttar Pradesh sets up committee to look into demands of ‘shiksha mitras’

On 26th July 2018, Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a committee to listen to the demands
of ‘shiksha mitras’ and suggest a suitable action plan.
i. This move has been made after continuous protests by ‘shiksha mitras’ throughout Uttar Pradesh.
ii. The committee was formed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.The committee
head is: Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma.
iii. Members of the committee will be: principal secretaries of basic education, law and the finance
department.
iv. After studying the issues, the committee will submit a report to the chief minister.
v. The ‘shiksha mitras’ have been demanding the direct appointment of 30,000 TET pass ‘shiksha
mitras’ as teachers, providing financial assistance to people who died during the agitation and giving
Rs 38,878 to those who have not been offered government jobs instead of the Rs 10,000 promised by
the government.
6th India-UK Science & Innovation Council (SIC) Meeting held in New Delhi
On July 28, 2018, The 6th India-UK Science & Innovation Council (SIC) meeting was held in New
Delhi.With an Objective to discuss about the bilateral S&T cooperation between the two countries.
i. After Newton Bhabha partnership , new partnerships may happen in areas of: Cyber Physical
System- Artificial Intelligence, digital Economy, health technologies, cyber security and promoting
clean growth, smart urbanization, future mobility and environment.
ii. Dicsussion on UK proposal for FutureTech Festival scheduled at New Delhi in 2018.
98 | P a g e
iii. Indian side was represented by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Earth
Sciences & Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India.
iv. UK’s side had Mr. Sam Gyimah, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, UK as
the representative.Last SIC meeting was held in London on June 15, 2016.
A High Level Empowered Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary set up to address stressed
thermal power assets
On July 30, 2018, Government set up a High Level Empowered Committee headed by Cabinet
Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha to address the issues of Stressed Thermal Power Projects.With
an Objective to resolve the stress and revive such assets
i. This committee would also involve representatives from the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of
Finance, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal and banks involved in this sector.
ii. It would work on : maximizing the efficiency of investment, changes in the fuel allocation policy,
regulatory framework, facilitation of sale of power, timely payments, /Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code (IBC), Asset Restructuring Company (ARC) Regulations.
iii. This would revive the stressed assets so as to avoid such investments becoming NPA.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCE

Conference of States Power Ministers held at Shimla , HP on June 3,2018
On July 1,2018, the Ministry of Power announced that it will hold a conference of state power
ministries at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on July 3, 2018. The Conference will be inaugurated by Shri R
K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy.
i.Ministers and Secretaries of the States and Union territories and senior officials of the power &
renewable energy sectors and Public Sector Undertakings under them .
ii.The aim is to review the implementation of various ongoing Schemes/ Programmes & work
on issues pertaining to Power and Renewable Energy sectors.
iii. Issues like 100 per cent Household Electrification (under Saubhagya) by December, 2018, UDAY
performance assessment, shifting to prepaid system in three years and 24X7 Power for All – From
1st April 2019 will be discussed.
iv. They will also discuss : proposed draft amendments in the provision of Captive Generating Plant in
Electricity Rules, 2005 and flexibility in utilization of Coal, promoting environment friendly measures
such as- setting up of Charging Infrastructure for E-vehicle, review of progress on adoption of Energy
Conservation Building Code (ECBC) by the States and the UTs and establishment of standalone SDA
for effective implementation of Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Programmes.
v. In the area of Renewable Energy, discussions on compliance of RPO targets, preparation of month
wise plans for bidding solar & wind capacity by State/UT, review of Solar Parks and Solar Rooftop
Program will take place.
vi. Also automatic exemption from land ceiling act for RE power projects, free intra-state transmission
for solar/wind power and fast provision of Right of Way (RoW) for evacuation facility being set up by
CTUs will be discussed.
vii. New emerging technologies in RE sector like floating solar, wind solar hybrid, offshore wind and
storage, Small Hydro Power and Biomass Power will also be taken up for discussion.
India’s First Global Mobility Summit To Be Organized By NITI Aayog In 7th-8th September
2018
On July 4, 2018, the think tank NITI Aayog announced that it is organising ‘MOVE: Global Mobility
Summit’ in New Delhi on 7th and 8th September, 2018 in association with various ministries and
industry partners.
i.This summit will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi .
99 | P a g e
The Conclave would include global CEOs and transport ministers from across the world. It will also
see participation from countries like Netherlands, Slovakia, USA, UK, Netherlands, China, South Korea,
Australia etc. and special Track sessions with Mayors and Governors from various major cities and
capitals.
ii.It will help drive Government’s goals for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration and
job growth and India’s transition to a clean energy economy.
iii.The summit will take place over 50,000 sq. meters of premium space across India Gate Lawns, New
Delhi.
iv.It will have over 1,200 expected participants from across the world including Government
leadership, Industry leaders, Research Organizations, Academia ,Think Tanks and Civil Society
Organisations.
v.The Summit will constitute of three designated components – The Conclave, the Expo and the
Featured Events.
vi.The six tracks or themes for the Summit will focus on: Asset Utilization and Services,
Comprehensive Electrification, Alternative Energy, Reinventing Public Transit, Logistics and Goods
Transport, Data Analytics and Mobility.
vii.‘MOVEMENTUM’, the Expo will feature exciting future technologies and cutting edge innovations in
transformative mobility solutions.The Expo with be set within a futuristic ‘Smart City’, presenting an
immersive experience of future mobility.
viii.It would also include Featured Events such as Breakout sessions, Fireside chats, Innovation
spotlights, Hackathons, Mobility Pitch Competitions and Networking Sessions, ‘NITI Talks’,
showcasing successful entrepreneurs from across the country.
ix.NITI Aayog has also been working towards evolving a National Strategy for Transforming Mobility,
in the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism, urging all States and Union territories to
formulate state-specific comprehensive strategies by constituting respective State Task Forces.
x.The Summit, hence, aims to encourage cooperation between indigenous industries such as
Automobile Manufacturing, Information Technology, Electronics, Telecommunications and others, to
integrate with global supply chains.
3 day long 9th Heads of Mission Conference themed ‘Unprecedented Outreach:Unparalleled

Outcomes’ inaugurated by MEA Sushma Swaraj
On June 30, 2018, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated a three day 9th Heads of
Mission Conference of all Indian ambassadors and high commissioners in New Delhi.
i. The theme of this year’s conference is : Unprecedented Outreach: Unparalleled Outcomes.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the heads of missions.
iii.The conference will brief the top diplomats on economic reform initiatives and measures taken for
improving ease-of-doing business.
iv.Discussions on key foreign policy issues and goals will also take place.This conference is aimed at
the time of Chinese Indo-pacific expansion and the various bans being imposed by the US.
100 | P a g e
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar to inaugurate 17th World Sanskrit Conference in
Vancouver, Canada
On July 8 2018,The 17th World Sanskrit Conference will be inaugurated by Human Resource
Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar at Vancouver, Canada from 9th July to 13th July, 2018.
Purpose :- to promote, preserve and practice the Sanskrit language all over the world by the people.
i. There are more than 500 scholars and delegates from over 40 countries will be expected to
participate in this conference.
ii. All the scholars and delegates will exchange their knowledge on various section like History &
Education of Women in Vedic Literature; Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts; Mimamsa Beyond the
Yagasala; The Yuktidipika Forging a Place for Sankhya Introducing Bhagavata Purana Commentaries;
Research on the Gargiyajyotisa.
iii. Along with minister 10 scholars and two officers are Indian delegation participating in the
17th World Sanskrit Conference.
International Round Table Conference on “Data for New India’’

On 9th and 10th July 2018, a 2 day International Round Table Conference is organized by the Ministry
of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in New Delhi.
i. The objective of this Conference is to identify innovative ideas to enhance the statistical system in
India.
ii. For this the best practices followed in advanced countries like Canada, UK and Australia will be
learned.
iii. This kind of Conference is organized for the first time in India. The Conference was inaugurated by
D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
iv. Anil Arora, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada, Jonathan Palmer, former Deputy Statistician,
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director for India, statistical
experts and senior officers in the Government take part in this conference.
v. Also, Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairperson of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and Member
NITI Aayog, Dr. R.B. Barman, Chairperson, National Statistical Commission, Dr. Pronab Sen, former
Chairperson, National Statistical Commission, and Prof. T.C.A. Anant, former Chief Statistician of India
are also participating in this conference.
vi. Discussions will be held on major statistical issues like data governance structure and capabilities,
organizational issues, managing data systems in a federal structure and resource mobilization for
quality of statistical products.
vii. The conference aims to suggest measures for initiating reform process in the Indian Statistical
System.
International conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering Entrepreneurship, Innovation

and Sustainability” organized by NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform
On 16th and 17th July 2018, a 2 day International conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability” was organized by NITI Aayog’s Women
Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Office of International
Programmes (OIP) University of Delhi.
i. The Inaugural event was presided by Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India as Chief Guest.
ii. Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry was the Guest of Honor. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI
Aayog, and Ajay S. Shri Ram, Chairman, Governing Body, SRCC were also present.
iii. After the inaugural event, a Plenary Session and Panel Discussions were held. Discussions were
held on topics like, how women-led enterprises enable change, how innovation can contribute to
societal good and how technology and sustainability are complementary etc.
iv. Eminent personalities both from India and other countries took part in the conference.
101 | P a g e
v. Representatives were from Canada, United States of America, Australia, Ethopia, Cameroon, Ghana,
and Nigeria, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh and Thailand etc.
vi. Paper presentations were conducted on ‘Empowering Women’. Business and entrepreneurship
oriented competitions were also conducted.
Thaawarchand Gehlot Attended Global Disability Summit 2018 in London, UK

On 24th July 2018, Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment attended
the Global Disability Summit 2018 held in London, United Kingdom.
i.The motto of Global Disability Summit 2018 was to firm up the commitments of the country leaders
towards the cause of persons with disabilities.
ii.Global leaders assured their commitments for elimination stigma and discrimination, promoting
inclusive education, economic empowerment, technology and innovation in assistive devices, data
desegregation etc.
iii.Leaders from over 40 countries participated in the summit. The leaders have committed to work
towards economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.
iv. Thaawarchand Gehlot reiterated India’s commitments to international principles. He mentioned
Indian Government’s initiatives for empowerment of persons with disabilities.
v. Ms. Shakuntala Doley Gamlin, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
was also a part of Indian delegation.
International conference on India-Vietnam economic ties held in New Delhi

On July 26, 2018, an international conference on India-Vietnam economic ties was held in New
Delhi.Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Ton Sinh Thanh was present at the
inauguration of the international conference.With an Objective to enhance the economic ties with
Vietnam and enable government’s Act East Policy
i. Vietnam and India has extensive economic ties in oil exploration, agriculture, manufacturing and
defence .
ii. India will extend ties in services sector.Both nations have agreed on a trade target of USD 15 billion
by 2020.
iii. As Vietnam is a member of ASEAN, it can help on the growth of India’s ties with other ASEAN
countries.
iv.The Objective of ”Act East Policy” is to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop
strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at
bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.
v.Focus is on:
 Infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, skills, urban renewal, smart cities, Make in India and
other initiative.
 Connectivity projects, cooperation in space, S&T and people-to-people exchanges.
 Enhanced connectivity to the States of North Eastern Region including Arunanchal Pradesh
with other countries in our neighbourhood. Therefore, the North East of India has been a
priority in our Act East Policy (AEP).
Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 in New Delhi

On 30th and 31st July 2018, Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 is held in New Delhi.
i. Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 is conducted under the guidance of Headquarters
Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). It aims to review external security challenges and the preparedness
of India.
ii. This conference creates a platform for discussions at the top Level on all joint issues among the
three Services and Ministry of Defence.
iii. It also enables stock taking of the previous year and planning for the next year. Under the
chairmanship of the Chief of Integrated Staff (CISC), various Tri Services issues will be discussed.
iv. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre,
102 | P a g e
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force etc, are taking part in the
conference.
Chiefs of Indian Armed Forces:
♦ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – General Bipin Rawat
♦ Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Sunil Lanba
♦ Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) – Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.
2nd Conference of Young Superintendent of Police held in New Delhi

On 26th July 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, inaugurated the 2nd Conference of Young
Superintendent of Police, organized by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), in New
Delhi.
i. The conference is held for 2 days. The conference was attended by more than 100 Superintendents
of Police and senior officers from the States and CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces).
ii. Theme of the Conference was: “Predictive Policing and Contemporary Challenges for Indian Police
Forces”.
iii. Aim of the conference was: to create awareness among young Superintendents of Police and
Commandants about latest technologies in Artificial Intelligence, Predictive Policing/ Crime Analytics/
Big data Analytics, Geospatial Technology, Cyber Crime, Surveillance Tracking & UAVs, CCTV
Equipment, to efficiently deliver the Police Services to citizens.
iv. A National Level Police Expo was also organized along with the conference, in association with
several knowledge partners and stakeholders.
v. BPR&D has the mandate to develop an interface between technology developers (Industry,
Academia and Govt. Technical Institutions) and representatives of law enforcement agencies by
means of expositions & demonstrations of latest technologies/gadgets related to police
modernisation.
vi. Closing address of the conference was delivered by Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Dr. Kiran Bedi.
INDEX
Rankings
Bengaluru, Delhi top in startup funding : report by CB Insights
On July 10, 2018, according to a report by US venture capital and startup data base CB Insights, New
Delhi and Bengaluru had among the highest number of startup investment rounds greater than $100
million since 2014.
i. Bengaluru had (21) and New Delhi (18).Each of the Indian cities had about the same number as
London(19), and significantly higher numbers than Boston (13) and Tel Aviv (2), cities that are often
regarded as strong startup hubs.
ii. Some of the big-ticket deals in India included those to Flipkart, Ola and Paytm, and to those like
online grocer Bigbasket ($300 million in series-E funding led by Alibaba) and Swiggy’s $100-million
fund-raise led by South African internet and media giant Naspers.
iii. The big acceleration for Indian companies came from Japanese internet giant SoftBank that has
invested more than $7 billion in the Indian ecosystem, including in Flipkart and Ola.
The Rounds greater than $100 M since 2014 are:
Startup Hubs Number of investment round >
$100 million since 2014
Silicon Valley 158
Beijing 128
Shanghai 58
New York 40
Los Angeles 30
Bengaluru 21
103 | P a g e
London 19
New Delhi 18
Boston 13
Berlin 11
Paris 5
Austin 4
Seattle 4
Tel Aviv 2
Tokyo 1
DIPP and Min. of Commerce and Industry released the ranking of states on Ease of Doing
Business
On July 11, 2018, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, released the final rankings of States in Ease of Doing Business in New Delhi. Top 5 states
according to the BRAP 2017 report: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Jharkhand, Gujarat
i. DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the World Bank conducted an
annual reform exercise for all States and UTs under the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP).
ii. The aim of this exercise is to improve delivery of various Central Government regulatory functions
and services in an efficient, effective and transparent manner.
iii. Under the BRAP 2017 is based on a combined score consisting of Reform evidence score that is
based on evidences uploaded by the States and UTs and Feedback score that is based on the feedback
from the users.
iv. The feedback was collected through 50000 face-to-face interviews. 78 reforms out of 372 were
identified for the survey. More than 5,000 private sector users in 23 States and UTs, including 4,300
businesses and 800 architects, lawyers and electrical contractors from across the country shared their
experience.
v. Under this, DIPP organised numerous outreach programmes including 30 workshops and periodic
video conferences with States and UTs.
vi. DIPP identified partner States to mentor another State and UT to facilitate implementation of
reforms in States and UTs needing support. Telangana and West Bengal held extensive workshops to
support Tripura and Nagaland respectively.
vii. This is all under the Ease of Doing Business in India for improving the business and regulatory
environment.
viii. The next year’s assessment will be entirely based on user feedback.
Global Innovation Index (GII): India ranks 57th

India has ranked 57th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) developed by Cornell University, the Paris-
based business school Insead and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva.
i. India has ranked as the 57th most innovative country in the world. India has improved its rank from
60th position in 2017.
ii. India has improved steadily since 2015 when it was ranked 81st. China has improved its rank from
22 in 2017 to 17 in 2018.
iii. GII ranks 126 economies on the basis of 80 indicators. This is the 11th edition of GII. Since
2011, Switzerland has been ranked on top every year. In 2018, it is followed
by Netherlands at second spot and Sweden at third.
iv.The US has dropped to sixth rank from fourth in 2017. There has been a rearrangement among
themselves, but the top 10 countries in GII have not changed.
v. India is a top performer in the lower middle income group, in which it is ranked at 5th position.
vi. It is the most innovative country in central and southern Asia. In the quality of innovation inputs
and outputs category, India is ranked second after China in the lower and upper middle income group
combined.
vii. Many Asian countries have been improving their ranks in the last five years including China, India,
104 | P a g e
Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam.

viii. Four of the top five innovation clusters are in Asia, based on patents and publishing. San
Francisco is the only innovation cluster outside Asia in the top five.
ix. Tokyo is at the top. Also, two of the top five clusters are in China. Bengaluru, ranks at 65 among the
top clusters in the world.
India ranks 109th in 4G Speed : Ookla

On July 18, 2018, according to a report by online speed testing platform Ookla, India was at 9.12
Mbps in the 4G speed category behind neighbors Pakistan (14.03 Mbps) and Sri Lanka (16.98).India
ranks 109th in overall 4G mobile internet speeds.Out of the list comprising 124 countries
, Qatar ranked first in the list with 63.22 Mbps average download speed. Norway stood second in the
list with 62.14 Mbps download speed.
Udaipur ranked 3rd among world’s best cities for second successive year: Travel + Leisure
On July 19, 2018, According to Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Cities report, The city of Udaipur has
ranked 3rd among the 15 of the world’s best cities.
i. The top 2 cities are both in Mexico: San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca.
ii. The ranks were given based on sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and
overall value.
iii. Earlier in 2009 it has ranked 1st in the list making it ‘best city in the world to visit’. And in 2017
also it has received the 3rd rank.
Public Affairs Index 2018: Kerala tops list of best governed States for third time
On 21st July 2018, Public Affairs Centre (PAC), a think tank, released Public Affairs Index (PAI) for
2018, its third annual PAI, at an event in Bengaluru.
i. Kerala has topped the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 as the best governed state in India for the
3rd continuous year since 2016 among large states.
ii. Best governed large states that topped in the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018:
Rank State
1 Kerala
2 Tamil Nadu
3 Telangana
4 Karnataka
iii. The PAI is released since 2016. It examines governance performance in the states through a data-
based framework and ranks them on social and economic development they are offering.
iv. The PAI was based on 10 themes, 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators. The Public Affairs Centre
(PAC) aims to mobilise a demand for better governance in India.
v. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest on the PAI due to higher social and
economic inequalities in the states.
vi. Among smaller states (with population less than 2 crores), Himachal Pradesh topped the list.
vii. It is followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura as states with good governance.
viii. Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked the lowest in the index among small states.
ix. The 10 themes considered for this index are essential infrastructure, support to human
development, social protection, women and children, law and order etc.
x. The states were divided into 2 categories namely large and small based on their population. States
with over 2 crore population were considered large.
xi. PAI 2018 also included a separate index on the children of India, indicating a measure of how child-
friendly the states are.
xii. Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped the index on being the states to provide better
living conditions for all children.
105 | P a g e
India ranks 96th in UN’s E-Government index 2018; jumps 11 places since 2016
On July 31, 2018, India ranks 96th in the biannual United Nation’s E-Government Index
2018 among 193 countries released by UN.
i. India has a total score of 0.9551,it has emerged as sub-region leader.
ii. India has scored 100% in the first stage of the E-Participation sub-index, followed by 95.65% in the
second stage and 90.91% in the third stage.
iii. Earlier in 2014, India was ranked at 118 and now has jumped 22 places in 4 years and 11 places
in 2 years.
iv. Denmark is the world leader, both on E-Government index and E-Participation sub-index.Republic
of Korea is the regional leader.
Reports
Mumbai Airport Among Least Punctual Airports In The World: Study by OAG
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, the second busiest in India, has been ranked as
the fifth least punctual airport in the world, as per a study conducted by OAG, a global leader in
providing flight information.
i. Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi, the 16th busiest airport in the world, has secured
451st position among the 513 airports worldwide, in flight punctuality.
ii. No major Indian airport appeared in the top 200 in ‘on-time performance’ (OTP). But, Port Blair
airport in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands got the worldwide rank of 65, with punctuality rate of
84.6 %.
iii. OTP for Delhi was 70.7 %. Nagoya Komaki Airport in Japan has topped the global ranking list with
OTP rate of 94.5 %.OTP for Mumbai was 60 %.
iv. Hyderabad airport was ranked 246, Bengaluru airport – 262 and Kolkata – 270.
v. The OAG study’s reference period was around 1 year between June 2017 to May 2018. It focused on
delays arising out of arrivals.
vi. It covered the OTP of airlines also. Air India secured 131st spot with a punctuality rate of 58.4 %
among the 137 airlines worldwide.
vii. Port Blair airport with OTP of 84.6 % was given a 4 star rating. Delhi airport got a 2 star rating.
Mumbai airport got a 1 star rating.
viii. Other OTPs:
 Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport – 68 %
 Beijing Capital International Airport – 67 %
 Kuala Lumpur International Airport – 66.4 %
 Guangzhou airport in China – 66.7 %
 London Gatwick Airport – 65.4 %
ix. Pakistan International Airlines got the 126th rank with OTP of 59.7 %. IndiGo was named the best
on-time performer among Indian carriers with 33rd place and OTP of 82 %.
x. South Korea’s T’way Air topped the global ranking with an OTP of 95.6 %.
Global Slavery Index released by the Walk Free Foundation mentions 40.3 million people
under ‘modern slavery’
On July 22, 2018, According to report of Walk Free Foundation, the Global Slavery Index estimates
that 40.3 million people worldwide were subjected to modern slavery in 2016.With an Objective to
pressure governments and companies to do more to end modern slavery.
i. The reason for such slavery is import of USD 354 billion worth of goods by G20 countries
ii. The report cites coal, cocoa, cotton, timber and fish as among the products.
iii. Repressive regimes are of particular concern because their populations are put to work to prop up
the government.
iv. North Korea has the highest concentration of modern slavery where one in 10 people are in this
condition.
v. Other countries who have been ranked Eritrea, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan,
106 | P a g e
Mauritania, South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodiaand Iran.

vi. Most action taken by the following governments:
Netherlands, US, UK, Sweden, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Montenegro.
vii. Among the total enslaved, 29% is male and 71% female.
viii. 15.4 million is in forced marraiges.
ix. 24.9 million in forced labour.
x. Among the G20 countries 12 countries are not taking actions, and 7 countries are taking action.
xi. Australia has announced it will introduce supply chain transparency laws in the second half of
2018.
Karnataka surpasses Tamil Nadu to become top State in renewable energy: says “Karnataka’s
Electricity Sector Transformation” report by IEEFA
Karnataka has become the leading State for renewable energy in India, surpassing Tamil Nadu,
according to the report “Karnataka’s Electricity Sector Transformation” released by the Institute for
Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
i. Karnataka reached 12.3 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity in March 2018. 5 GW capacity
addition was done in 2017-18.
ii. 27% of Karnataka’s power generation comes from renewable energy. Also, Pavagada industrial
solar park that is developed in Karnataka, is said to be the second largest solar development currently
under construction in the world.
iii. The report also cites certain threats to solar energy in Karnataka like lack of transmission network
infrastructure and policies like repealing the zero wheeling charge order.
iv. IEEFA has presented a model for Karnataka’s electricity supply and demand till 2027-28.
v. IEEFA had predicted a doubling of economic activity in the upcoming decade with 7.8% GDP. This
will contribute to a 73% increase in electricity demand.
vi. IEEFA recommends increasing renewables from 46% of state capacity (27% of generation) in
2017-18 to 60% of capacity (43% of generation).
About Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA):
♦ Purpose – conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and
the environment
♦ Executive Director – Sandy Buchanan
BUSINESS
NRL becomes 1st oil PSU to introduce online legal compliance
On July 2, 2018, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in Assam has become the first oil public sector
undertaking (PSU) to adopt an online legal compliance system by introducing ‘Legatrix’.
The cloud-based compliance management system was inaugurated by Managing Director S K Barua at
the companys corporate office in Guwahati.
i.Legatrix is a onestop solution for effectively managing the organisations legal and regulatory
compliances through monitoring control at different levels.
ii. It covers the requirements of laws like labour, taxation, IT, commercial, export-import, corporate
laws and other industry-specific laws.
NRL:
The 3 MMTPA Numaligarh Refinery Limited was dedicated to the nation by the erstwhile Hon’ble
Prime Minister Shri A. B. Vajpayee on 9th July, 1999.
Two 50MW Solar Projects in Ananthapuramu Solar Park commissioned by Tata Power
On July 4, 2018, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL), a subsidiary of Tata Power, has
announced the successful commissioning of two solar projects of 50 MW each in Ananthapuramu
Solar Park, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
107 | P a g e
i. These projects are under a 25 year power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI).
ii. These two grid connected solar power projects have been developed under the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission (JNNSM) Phase II, Batch-III and have been implemented through Viability Gap
Funding (VGF) Mode.
iii. The total renewable power operating capacity is around 2.2 GW, out of which, 1.3 GW consists of
solar projects and 931 MW comprises wind projects.
iv. Earnings from this project is Rs.26.79 billion (~$0.39 billion) for FY 2017-18 mainly due to a 46
percent increase in its renewable business.
IndiaFirst ties up with Oxigen to sell its insurance products at Oxigen retail outlets
IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited, has announced its tie-up with Oxigen Services India Pvt.
Ltd., to enable distribution of its insurance products at Oxigen retail outlets.
i. IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited will offer PoS Insurance Khata. This product enables a
customer to increase his life cover and create savings in a ways that suits his budget.
ii. Also, a digitalized customer interface with eKYC, will provide best value for money to the customers
and a fully integrated technology support. This product is also economical.
iii. IndiaFirst Life Insurance and Oxigen Services, aim to create access to customers in remotest areas
of India. It will also help retailers, to create a new segment of POS agents in India.
About IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited:
♦ MD and CEO – R. M. Vishakha
♦ IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between – Bank of Baroda, Andhra
Bank and Legal and General (UK)
Paddy MSP raised to Rs.1,750/quintal, in steepest hike since 2012-13

On 4th July 2018, the government increased the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy by a record
Rs 200 per quintal amounting it to Rs 1,750 per quintal.
i. This decision was made by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
ii. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that, the cabinet has approved the MSP of 14 kharif (summer-
sown) crops for the 2018-19 season.
iii. CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices) has calculated production cost of paddy at Rs
1,166 per quintal.
iv. The government has increased the MSP of paddy (common grade) by Rs 200 to Rs 1,750 per
quintal for 2018-19 season.
v. The MSP of Grade A variety of paddy has been increased by Rs 160 per quintal to Rs 1,750. The
increase in paddy MSP is 50-51 % over its production cost.
vi. The increase in the MSP will cost the exchequer over Rs 15,000 crore. The MSP of cotton (medium
staple) has been raised to Rs 5,150 from Rs 4,020 and that of cotton (long staple) to Rs 5,450 from
4,320 per quintal.
vii. The CACP has stated the production cost of medium staple cotton as Rs 3,433 per quintal. The MSP
increase is 50 % over the cost.
viii. In pulses, tur MSP has been increased to Rs 5,675 per quintal from Rs 5,450. Moong has been
increased to Rs 6,975 per quintal from Rs 5,575.
ix. Urad MSP has been increased to Rs 5,600 from Rs 5,400 per quintal. The MSP of tur and urad has
been increased by up to 66 % over their production cost.
x. In oilseeds, MSP of soyabean has been increased to Rs 3,399 per quintal from Rs 3,050. MSP of
groundnut (shell) has been increased to Rs 4,890 per quintal from Rs 4,450.
xi. Sunflower seed has been increased to Rs 5,388 per quintal from Rs 4,100, Sesamum has been
increased to Rs 6,249 per quintal from 5,300 and niger seed to Rs 5,877 per quintal from Rs 4,050.
About Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP):
108 | P a g e
♦ Chairman – Prof. Vijay Paul Sharma

♦ Formed – 1965
BSNL starts first internet telephony service in India

On 11th July 2018, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) launched India’s first Internet telephony
service named “Wings”.
i. Wings was launched by Minister of state (Independent charge) for Communications Manoj Sinha.
ii. Now, customers can use their BSNL landline on their mobile phone with Internet Telephony. Using
this service customers can make and receive calls over the Internet from anywhere in India or abroad.
iii. This service will use a Mobile Numbering Scheme. It will require an SIP Client (soft app) to be
downloaded and installed on a smart device (laptop, smartphone, tablet).
iv. Internet telephony is a kind of communications technology that allows voice calls and other
telephony services like fax, SMS and other voice-messaging applications to be transmitted through the
Internet.
v. The service will cost Rs.1099 as One Time Fee and offer audio video calling for 1 year.
vi. Registration for this service will begin this week. The services will be activated from 25th July 2018.
vii. The procedure to use this service is as follows:
 Download the Wings App
 Enter Your Landline number and Username and password
 Now you can use your BSNL Landline on your mobile Phone with Wings
India’s first private Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and Light Bullet Proof Vehicles (LBPV)
manufacturing factory to be set up in in Kota
India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and Light Bullet Proof
Vehicles (LBPV) will be set up by DCM Shriram Industries Group on the campus of Shriram Rayons in
Kota.
i. Shriram Rayons, a company of DCM Shriram Industries Group, has been manufacturing rayon tyre
cord in Kota for the past 54 years.
ii. On 5th July 2018, the company obtained a licence from the centre to manufacture UAV and LBPV.
iii. The UAV and LBPV are indigenously designed and developed by the DCM Shriram Industries
Group.
iv. Shriram Rayons’ Kota unit, has been developed on 11 acres. It will be India’s first private sector
company to manufacture UAVs and LBPVs.
v. Total of 3000 LBPVs and 500 UAVs will be produced annually after the plant is set up.
vi.These UAVs and LBPVs would be used by defence and para-military forces in India. UAVs will help
in surveillance and LBPV will protect defence and para-military forces from light automatic weapon
fire, IED blasts and small grenade attack.
vii.The UAVs would fly to a height of 500 to 2000 km. LBPVs can function in tough terrains. It also has
off-road abilities.
viii. The company would release first samples of the defence products within the next 18 months. The
plant will be equipped with three-layer security.
ix. DCM Industries Group is a 124-year-old company. It has entered defence equipment manufacturing
after the launch of ‘Defence Procurement Procedure 2016’ by the central government.
x. The new defence unit of Shriram Rayons in Kota is established under ‘Make in India’.
Proposal by DICDL to allow partnership of AAI & Gujarat government for Rs. 2000 crore worth
Dholera Airport Project
On July 14, 2018, The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is likely to partner with the government
of Gujarat to build the Rs 2,000 crore Dholera airport project.
i. A proposal to this effect has already been moved to the Civil Aviation ministry by DICDL that is yet
to be approved by AAI.
ii. Equity participation between AAI and government of Gujarat will be 51% and 49%, respectively.
109 | P a g e
iii. The airport at the biggest upcoming greenfield city in India under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial
Corridor (DMIC) project at Dholera will be built over four years.
About Dholera Airport:
Dholera ,spaning over 920 sq km, is the biggest of the eight industrial smart cities being developed in
the first phase of the $100 billion DMIC project.
About The Dholera Industrial City Development (DICDL):
The Dholera Industrial City Development (DICDL) is the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by the
DMIC Trust and the government of Gujarat to administer the special investment region (SIR).
OECD predicts India to grow over 7%, China to 6.7%

On July 15, 2018, a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), India’s economic growth will rise to 7.4% in 2018 and 7.5% in 2019.
i. This growth is due to the measures like demonetization and GST.
ii. Although issues related to banks’ non-performing assets (NPAs) will require attention.
iii. China’s GDP growth is projected to moderate to 6.7% in 2018 and to 6.4% in 2019.
iv. It is way past the government’s target of 6.4%.
Sagarmala initiative: Hi-tech Labs in Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Ship building (CEMS),
Visakhapatnam
The Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS) has said that, its hi tech labs at
Visakhapatnam are in ready state to commence orientation programmes for trainees.
i. On 13th July 2018, a seminar was conducted in Vishakhapatnam to inform stakeholders about the
facilities in the labs and the start of training process.
ii. Recently, CEMS had announced the readiness of its Mumbai labs also. CEMS is promoted by Indian
Register of Shipping (IRClass) along with Siemens and Ministry of Shipping.
iii. The Visakhapatnam campus is located in the Indian Maritime University (IMU) campus.
iv. Mr. Kailash Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Sagarmala, Ministry of Shipping said that, the CEMS is a major
initiative of Sagarmala programme to enhance skill development in ship building and ship repair.
v. It will offer industry related employable skills to students in the port and maritime sector. It will
also encourage Make in India and Skill India initiatives in the maritime sector.
About Sagarmala Project:
♦ Launched – 2015
♦ Main Objective – to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure
to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
Training of youth on digital skills to be done by Facebook and NSDC jointly

On July 18, 2018, Facebook and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) took joint
responsibility to train youth and entrepreneurs in the country on digital skills.
i. Through this partnership Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will make
use of Facebook’s training on digital marketing skills in its courses.
ii. Courses will be on : digital marketing, online safety and financial literacy in regional languages.
iii. Here the trainees will have access to local, domestic and international markets.
iv. They will also have access to Facebook’s Jobs tool to easily search for job openings.
v. Facebook has opened its Digital Training Hub in 2017, and has so far trained more than two lakh
youth and entrepreneurs under the #BoostYourBusiness programme across 16 Indian states.
vi. It is currently training 30,000 women entrepreneurs under #SheMeansBusiness programme.It
aims to train five lakh youth and entrepreneurs by 2020.
About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE):
Union Minister: Dharmendra Pradhan.
GDP predicted to go from 7.8% (April-June) to 7.2% in second half of 2018: Nomura
On July 31, 2018, According to Nomura , GDP growth to peak to 7.8% in April-June quarter and then
110 | P a g e
moderate to 7.2 per cent in the second half of 2018.

i. This is owing to tighter financial conditions, slowing global growth and adverse terms of trade.
ii. The GDP growth was at 7.7 per cent in January-March quarter 2018.
iii. Also global oil prices and higher minimum support prices predict a hike of 25 basis points rate hike
in August in the RBI’s third bi monthly meeting to be held in August 1,2018.
iv. Reserve Bank of India had increase its retail inflation projection by 0.30 per cent.
DAC approves Guidelines for timely dispersal of equipment to Armed Forces

On July 31, 2018, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman approved the implementation guidelines for the Strategic Partnership Model.With an
Objective to timely deliver equipment to the Armed Forces.
i. It aims to private sector to design, develop and manufacture complex weapon systems for the
future needs of the Armed Forces.
ii.This will help align the defence sector with the Make in India initiative of the Government.
iii. It also gave specific guidelines for procurement of Naval Utility Helicopters.
iv. All of the projects would be executed by specially constituted Empowered Project Committees.
v. DAC gave approval for the acquisition of eight Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard at a
cost of about Rs.800 crore.
vi. These will be indigenously designed and manufactured for maritime security.
RIL replaces TCS to be the most valued co status in m-cap with more than Rs. 7 lakh crore
On July 31, 2018, RIL surpassed TCS to become the most valued firm by market capitalisation (m-cap).
i. The current m-cap of RIL is Rs 7,47,676.35 crore and that of TCS is: Rs 7,39,297.87 crore which is Rs
8,378.48 crore less than RIL.
ii. Shares of RIL surged 2.75 per cent to Rs 1,181.35, its lifetime high on BSE.
iii. Reliance Industries had earlier this month crossed the USD 100-billion market capitalisation mark.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Artist Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the Kalidas Award for visual arts
On 30th June 2018, artist Anjolie Ela Menon received the National Kalidas Samman in Delhi for visual
arts from the Madhya Pradesh government.
i.Menon is 78 years old. She has been awarded the Kalidas Award for her sensitive portrayal of the
identity and spirit of women in her paintings.
ii. She made her first solo exhibition in Delhi in 1958. She has received the Padma Shri award.
iii. She has received various national and international awards. She had received a doctorate from
Rabindra Bharati University, recently. Artist A. Ramachandran was also awarded the Kalidas Award.
Himachal Pradesh gets national award for best performance under PMSMA
Himachal Pradesh has been named first among states for its performance under the Pradhan Mantri
Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan (PMSMA) in India.
i. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda presented the award and it was received by Additional
Chief Secretary, Health, BK Agarwal on behalf of Himachal Pradesh, at an event in New Delhi.
ii. Himachal Pradesh has been given this award for bringing maximum number of women for ante-
natal check-up to the PMSMA clinics.
iii. Himachal Pradesh government had launched PMSMA in August 2016. Nearly 495 clinics were
established in which ante-natal check-ups were conducted by doctors.
Rahul Dravid inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

On 1st July 2018, former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid and Australian Ricky Ponting have been
111 | P a g e
inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame for their achievements in international cricket, at an event
in Dublin, Ireland.
i. Retired England woman wicket keeper-batter Claire Taylor has also been inducted into the ‘Hall of
Fame’.Ricky Ponting is the 25th player from Australia to be inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’.
ii. Former Indian skippers Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev were inducted into the ICC
Hall of Fame in 2009. Anil Kumble was inducted in 2015.
Milan Shankar Tare selected for the 2018 National Maritime Search and Rescue Award
Milan Shankar Tare, a fisherman of Palghar district, Maharashtra, has been selected for 2018 National
Maritime Search and Rescue Award.
i. Milan Shankar Tare saved the lives of 12 people from a sinking fishing boat named Shivneri in May
2018.
ii. The National Maritime Search and Rescue Award honours his brave act at sea and selfless duty with
the highest traditions of maritime fraternity.
iii. The award consists of a commendation certificate and cash prize. It will be presented to Milan
Shankar Tare in New Delhi on 5th July 2018.
Swachhata Awards 2018 of MSME Ministry

On 4th July 2018, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj
Singh distributed the Swachhata Awards 2018 of MSME Ministry at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New
Delhi.
i. Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) celebrated Swachhata Pakhwada from
16th to 30th June 2018.
ii. Industrial Clusters, Industry Associations and field offices of National Small Industries Corporation
Limited (NSIC), Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), DC(MSME), Coir Board were
honoured for their contribution to Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
iii. KVIC adopted Jagatpura Village in New Delhi for 1 year to make it a model Swachh Village.
iv. Children were also involved in activities like tree plantation drives, painting, essay and slogan
writing competitions.
v. MSME Ministry and its field organisations undertook cleanliness drives throughout India covering
11 villages and blocks, 4 slums, 5 market places, 3 river sides, 2 railway stations, 3 bus stops and a sea
beach at Puri in Odisha. 8 public toilets, 5 residential colonies and 1 park have been adopted for 1
year.
About Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan:
♦ Launched by – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
♦ Launched in – 2014 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Major General VD Dogra becomes first serving Indian Army officer to complete Ironman
competition
On 1st July 2018, Major General VD Dogra became the first serving Indian Army officer and the only
General in the world to have completed ‘Ironman’ competition held in Austria.
i. The Ironman is an international triathlon comprising 3 consecutive events: 3.8 km of swimming,
180 km cycling and 42.2 km of running (a full marathon).
ii. It is considered the toughest one day sport event in the world. The competitors have to finish the
events in sequence within 17 hours to win ‘Ironman’ title.
iii. Major General VD Dogra finished the event in 14 hours and 21 minutes. The Ironman Austria was
held on 1st July in Klagenfurt.
iv. He has also cycled from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Sela Pass to Bumla Pass in Arunachal Pradesh and
from Akhnoor to Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.
v. He has participated in various triathlons like the Sprint category (500 metres swimming, 20 km
cycling and 5 km running), the Olympic category (1500 metres swimming, 40 km cycling, 10 km
running), the half Ironman etc.
112 | P a g e
vi. He has been a Sword of Honour and Gold Medalist of the December 1981 batch.
NHRC announces winners for silver jubilee logo, slogan-tagline contests

On 6th July 2018, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) announced the winners for the logo
design contest and slogan/tagline contest conducted regarding the 25th year anniversary celebrations
of NHRC.
i. Bansi Lal Ketki of Mumbai, Maharashtra bagged the first prize of Rs 50,000 and a certificate in
the logo design contest.His design adds the numerals ’25’ to the existing logo of the NHRC, using the
tricolor theme.
ii. Tabrej Qureshi of Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh won the first prize in the slogan/tagline contest.His
tagline was: ‘Awaaz Aapke Adhikar Ki’ and slogan was: ‘Desh may vikas ki aayge bahar, jab hoga
surakshit manav adhikar’. He will receive a prize of Rs 20,000 and a certificate.
About National Human Rights Commission (NHRC):
♦ Secretary General – Ambuj Sharma
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Established – October 12, 1993
Dr. T.K Chand gets Knowledge Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution in Aluminium
Knowledge domain
Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD, NALCO, received Knowledge Excellence Award from Secretary,
Ministry of Mines, Anil Gopishankar Mukim, for Outstanding Contribution in Aluminium Knowledge
domain, at the 22nd International Conference on Non-Ferrous Minerals and Metals 2018 at Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
i. The Conference was organized by Corporate Monitor. It was inaugurated by Secretary, Ministry of
Mines, Anil Gopishankar Mukim.
ii. Industry leaders and policy makers, including from major Non Ferrous producers like NALCO,
Aditya Birla, Vedanta and HCL took part in the conference.
iii. A special NALCO (National Aluminium Company Limited) booklet on Sustainable Mining named
‘Mine with Mind’ was released.
Swedish intellectuals form new literature prize in Nobel protest

Over 100 Swedish intellectuals have joined together and formed The New Academy a new prize-giving
body to award a new literature prize as this year’s Nobel Literature Prize has been postponed.
i. This has been created after the Swedish Academy that selects Nobel laureates, postponed this year’s
Nobel Literature Prize due to sexual assault allegations.
ii. The New Academy consists of authors, artists and journalists as members. In 2017, the Swedish
Academy got into trouble after the #MeToo movement gained significance globally, and local media
published the testimonies of 18 women claiming to have been raped, sexually assaulted or harassed
by a French man who has been connected to the institution.
iii. Following this, in May 2018, the Swedish Academy announced that, there will be no Nobel
Literature Prize this year.
iv. This was the first time in almost 70 years the Nobel literature award has been postponed. The
Swedish Academy was founded in 1786. Its meetings and decisions on prizes are kept secret.
iv. The new literature award carries a prize of 1 million kronor (around 97,000 euros, USD 113,000).
v. Based on the nominations and the vote results, a jury of publishers, literature professors, culture
journalists and critics will shortlist 4 authors: 2 men and 2 women and make the final choice.
vi. The winner should have published at least one literary work in the last 10 years. The winner will
be announced on 14th October 2018, in the same month as the Nobel Literature Prize would have been
announced.
113 | P a g e
Michael Ondaatje’s ‘The English Patient’ wins Golden Booker Prize

On 8th July 2018, Michael Ondaatje’s ‘The English Patient’ won the special one-off Golden Man Booker
Prize to mark the 50th anniversary of the literary award at the Man Booker 50 Festival in London.
i. Michael Ondaatje is a Sri Lanka-born Canadian. ‘The English Patient’ is a story of love and conflict
during World War II. Earlier, ‘The English Patient’ had shared the 1992 Booker Prize with Barry
Unsworth’s ‘Sacred Hunger’.
ii. A panel of judges read the works of all 52 former winners of the award. Then 5 books were put on a
public vote. The public voted and chose ‘The English Patient’ for the award.
iii. The Man Booker Prize is sponsored by Man Group. Man Group is an investment management
firm.The Booker Prize for Fiction was first awarded in 1969. It has been sponsored by Man Group
from 2002.
Dr Ravi Mehrotra receives lifetime achievement award at Seatrade 30th Anniversary Awards
Event
On 29th June 2018, Dr Ravi Mehrotra CBE, Chairman of Foresight Group International Ltd., received a
lifetime achievement award at the Seatrade 30th Anniversary Award Ceremony held at the Landmark,
London.
i. Dr Ravi Mehrotra CBE, was presented the lifetime achievement award by Chris Hayman, Chairman,
Seatrade.This award honours recipients who have made a remarkable contribution to shipping and
maritime industry.
ii. This award has been given shortly after Vivekanand 2 (a drilling rig from Foresight Offshore
Drilling formerly Hallworthy Shipping Limited S.A.) was announced as “THE BEST PERFORMING RIG
OF 2017/18” for ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited).
iii. Also, Dr Ravi Mehrotra recently announced that he is involved in a Corporate Social Responsibility
initiative with the Indian Government for cleaning the river Ganges and landscaping of its banks on a
stretch passing through Kanpur.
India’s Satyarup Siddhanta scales world’s highest volcano, Mt Ojos del Salado
Satyarup Siddhanta has become the second Indian mountaineer after Malli Mastan Babu to climb Mt
Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world.
i. Ojos del Salado is a stratovolcano that means a volcano built of alternate layers of lava and ash.
ii. It is located in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border. It is the highest active volcano in the world
at 6,893 metres (22,615 ft).
iii. Satyarup Siddhanta is also set to be the first Indian to climb Mt Sidley which is the highest volcano
of Antarctica. It will help him to achieve the mark of scaling seven summits and seven volcanic
summits.
iv. He skied the last degree to South Pole and hoisted the Indian flag at -40 degree centigrade. He
made his first attempt to scale the Mt Everest in 2015. He scaled it in 2016.
PM Modi third most followed leader on Twitter, Sushma Swaraj most followed female world
leader
On July 11, 2018, according to a ‘Twiplomacy’ study on ‘world leaders on social media’ conducted by
communications firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW), Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the third most
followed world leader on Twitter with 42 million followers on his personal account @NarendraModi.
i. BCW’s Twiplomacy study 2018 identified 951 Twitter accounts – 372 personal and 579 institutional
accounts – of heads of state and government and foreign ministers of 187 countries
ii. As of May 18, 2018, Modi is just behind US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis.
iii. With 52 million interactions over the past 12 months, Narendra Modi stands to be the second most
influential leader in the world after US President Donald Trump.
iii. Prime Minister @NarendraModi has featured on more than 20,000 Twitter lists, way behind
President Trump, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and three others.
iv. The official account of the Prime Minister @PMOIndia boasts of the fourth largest following with
114 | P a g e
26 million followers.
v. Sushma Swaraj, India’s External Affairs Minister also made it to the top 10 list of the most followed
world leaders, with more than 10 million followers on Twitter.
Other facts about the study:
i. Ninety-seven per cent of all 193 United Nations (UN) member states have an official presence
on Twitter, except, the governments of only six countries, namely- Laos, Mauritania, Nicaragua, North
Korea, Swaziland, and Turkmenistan.
ii. According to the Twitter lists on @Twiplomacy, more than 4,600 embassies and 1,400 ambassadors
are now active on Twitter, including Luo Zhaohui, the Chinese Ambassador to India
(@China_Amb_India).
The Top 8 of the list are as follows:
Person Handle Followers
President,USA @realDonaldTrump 52 million
Pope Francis @Pontifex 47.5 million
Prime minister, India @NArendraModi 42.5 million
Prime minister, India @PMOindia 26 million
President, USA @POTUS 23 million
President, USA @WhiteHouse 17 million
President, Turkey @RT_Erdogan 12 million
Foreign Minister, India @SushmaSwaraj 11 million
India’s ICZM Project wins World Bank’s internal award

On 13th July 2018, a top Environment Ministry official said that, India’s Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM)project has bagged World Bank’s internal award for exceptional performance in
achieving many development goals.Union Environment secretary C K Mishra said that, the ICZM
project is one among the eight projects that were awarded.
Piyush Goyal gives away awards for beautification of stations premises

On 12th July 2018, Union Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal distributed awards to winning
stations of Station Beautification competition in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.
i. First Prize: Balharshah & Chandrapur Railway Stations of Central Railway – Rs.10 Lakhs.
ii. Second Prize: Madhubani station of East Central Railway & Madurai station of Southern Railway –
Rs. 5 Lakhs.
iii. Third Prize: Gandhidham station of Western Railway, Kota station of West Central Railway &
Secunderabad station of South Central Railway – Rs. 3 Lakhs.
iv. He also released 3 technical booklets namely Ultrasonic Testing Pamphlet, AT Welding Pamphlet,
Flash Butt Welding Technical Pamphlet.
Mukesh Ambani overtakes Jack Ma, to become Asia’s richest person

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has overtaken Alibaba Group’s Jack Ma to
become Asia’s richest person.
i. Ambani was estimated to be worth $44.3 billion with Reliance Industries Ltd. rising 1.6 percent to a
record 1,099.8 rupees while Ma’s total net worth was at $44 billion.
ii. Reliance is India’s largest payer of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise and Customs Duty, and
Income Tax in the private sector.
iii. Ambani launched advanced fiber-based broadband connectivity service called JioGigaFibre and
JioGigaTV, a set-top box with ability to play videos at 4k resolution.
Jayshree Ullal and Neerja Sethi : Two Indian-origin women on Forbes list of America’s richest
self-made women
On July 12,2018, 2 Indian-origin technology executives Jayshree Ullal and Neerja Sethi have made it to
the Forbes’ list of America’s 60 richest self-made women .
115 | P a g e
i. Ullal is ranked 18th in the list of 60 self-made women.She has a net worth of 1.3 billion
dollars.She born in London and raised in India, has been president and CEO of Arista Networks, a
computer networking firm, since 2008.She owns about five per cent of Arista’s stock.
ii. Sethi is ranked 21st in the list of 60 women.She has a net worth of a billion dollars.Syntel racked
up USD 924 million in 2017 revenues and has 23,000 employees, 80 per cent of whom are in India.
About the Forbes list:
i. 21-year-old reality-TV star and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner is the youngest to be featured in the
power list. She has built a USD 900 million cosmetics fortune in less than three years.
ii. The combined net worth of the 60 women on the list is a record USD 71 billion, 15 per cent more
than in 2017.
iii. Among these 60 women, Twenty-four of these women are billionaires.Seven newcomers joined the
ranks, The richest of these new faces is billionaire Anastasia Soare who has a cosmetic company
called Anastasia Beverly Hills.
Ishwar Sharma: 8-year-old yoga champion named ‘British Indian of the Year’
Ishwar Sharma has been named the “British Indian of the Year” for his achievements in Yoga.
i. Ishwar Sharma is 8 years old. He is an Indian-origin school kid. He is the under-11 UK national yoga
champion.
ii. He has bagged various titles in individual and artistic yoga. He has won gold medal representing
Great Britain at the World Student Games 2018 held in Winnipeg, Canada, in June 2018.
iii.He was named British Indian of the Year in the Young Achiever category at the 6th annual awards
ceremony held in Birmingham recently.He had also won a gold medal at the Euro Asian Yoga
Championships in Turkey in May 2018.
Times Now-ICICI Bank Awards: Prem Watsa named ‘NRI Of the Year’
Prem Watsa, founder of Fairfax Financial Holdings, was presented the Special Jury ‘NRI of the Year
Award’ at the 5th edition of Times NOW & ICICI Bank NRI of the Year Awards 2018, in Mumbai.
i. Also, Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri was awarded the ‘Global Indian Icon’ award.
ii. Kiren Rijiju, minister of state for home affairs, was the chief guest of the event. Times Now and ICICI
Bank NRI of the Year Awards was powered by Global Indian International School (GIIS).Ernst &
Young, professional services firm, is the process adviser for the awards.
SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh awarded USISPF Leadership Award at the first Annual Leadership
Summit of USISPF in Washington DC
Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet, received the USISPF Leadership Award at the
first Annual Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in Washington
DC, United States.
i. D. Jim Umpleby III, CEO of Caterpillar Inc., was also awarded the USISPF Leadership Award.
ii. The theme for this year’s summit was: “Strengthening the Strategic Partnership”.
iii. They discussed on opportunities in investment. The value of the US-India partnership and how
their shared values of democracy, security, and sustainability are applied in both business and
government areas to improve job creation, encourage innovation, and accelerate economic growth
were also discussed.
About US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF):
♦ Chairman – John T Chambers
♦ Purpose – to create the most powerful strategic partnership between the U.S. and India and to
promote bilateral trade etc.
Repco Micro Finance Ltd received NABARD 2018 award

Repco Micro Finance Ltd was awarded the NABARD 2018 award for its service to self-help group
(SHG) linkage in Tamil Nadu for the fiscal year 2017-18.
i. Repco Micro Finance Ltd is a non-banking finance company promoted by Repco Bank.
116 | P a g e
ii. Repco Micro Finance Ltd has offered loans amounting to Rs 2,500 crore to more than 10 lakh
beneficiaries through 50,000 SHGs, so far.
About Repco Micro Finance Ltd:
♦ MD – Mrs. R S Isabella
♦ Head Office – Chennai.
Sahapedia’s India Heritage Walk fete wins PATA award

India Heritage Walk Festival, a collaboration of Sahapedia and YES Arts & Culture, has been awarded
the PATA Gold Award 2018.
i. The award has been announced by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok under the
‘Heritage-Culture’ category.
ii. It was sponsored by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
iii. The PATA Awards achievements of recognised achievements of 27 organisations and individuals in
the field of travel and tourism.
iv. PATA Awards will be presented to the winners on September 14 during the PATA Travel Mart in
Malaysia.The month-long, multi-city IHWF 2018 was organised in February 2018.
v. YES Arts & Culture is the cultural division of YES Global Institute, a practicing think tank of YES
BANK.
2017 AIFF Awards: Sunil Chhetri wins 2017 AIFF player of the year award
On 22nd July 2018, Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri was named the 2017 All India Football
Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year. This was announced by AIFF after its Executive Committee
meeting in Mumbai.
i. Sunil Chhetri is a star player for both India and Bengaluru FC teams.
ii. List of 2017 AIFF Award winners:
 2017 AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme: Kerala FA.
 2017 AIFF Award for long-time contribution to Indian Football: Hero Motocorp.
 2017 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee: Sumanta Datta (Assam).
 2017 AIFF Award for Best Referee: CR Srikrishna.
 2017 AIFF Emerging Woman Footballer of the Year: E Panthoi.
 2017 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year: Anirudh Thapa.
 2017 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year: Kamala Devi.
 2017 AIFF Player of the Year: Sunil Chhetri.
Michael Ondaatje named in Man Booker Prize long list

On July 24, 2018, Canadian author Michael Ondaatje has again made the Man Booker Prize list with his
latest novel “Warlight”.
i. “Warlight” tells the story of two orphans in London in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
ii. This year’s Man Booker Prize includes six U.K. writers, three from the United States, and two each
from Canada and Ireland.
iii. It includes four debut novels and one from American novelist Rachel Kushner.
iv. The list will be pared to six finalists in September and the winner will be announced on Oct. 16 at a
black-tie dinner at London’s Guildhall.
v. To mark Man Booker’s 50th anniversary, a special award to Ondaatje’s “The English Patient,” which
won the Booker in 1992, was named winner of the Golden Man Booker winner on July 8.
About Man Booker’s Prize:
♦ The prize was originally open to British, Irish and Commonwealth writers. Americans have been
eligible since 2014.
♦ The winner receives 50,000 pounds (USD 65,000).
117 | P a g e
Four Indian-origin names including 3 women in list of Fortune’s 40 young influential people
On July 26, 2018, Fortune released its The Ledger ’40 Under 40′ list and 4 persons of India-origin,
including three women have been named on it.
i. The Indian origin persons were:
Rank Person Position in company
4 Dhivya Suryadevara CFO of General Motors
14 Anjali Sud CEO of Vimeo
24 Baiju Bhatt Cofounder and Co-CEO of
Robinhood
32 Anu Duggal founding partner of Female
Founders Fund
ii. Suryadevara, 39 , made history by becoming GM’s first female CFO making it one of only two
Fortune 500 companies led by a female CEO and CFO after Hershey.
iii. The Top 5 ‘40 under 40’ are:
Kevin Systrom and Mark Zuckerberg 1
Logan Green, John Zimmer 2
Wang Xing 3
Dhivya Suryadevara 4
Brian Chesky 5
About Fortune’s 40 under 40:
♦ It focuses on the pioneers building some of the world’s fastest-growing businesses.
♦ 1st started in 1999-2003 in first phase and the current phase started from 2009.
Ramon Magsaysay Award: Two Indians Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk are among six
individuals declared winners
On 26th July 2018, two Indians Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk were named winners of 2018
Ramon Magsaysay Award.
i. A total of 6 persons were declared winners of 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
ii. Bharat Vatwani is awarded for leading the rescue of thousands of mentally ill destitute people and
reuniting them with their families.
iii. Sonam Wangchuk is awarded for his contribution in the field of education, culture and progress of
communities in remote northern India.
iv. Other winners of the award are:
 Youk Chhang from Cambodia
 Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz from East Timor
 Howard Dee from the Philippines
 Vo Thi Hoang Yen from Vietnam
About Ramon Magsaysay Award:
♦ Established in – 1957
♦ Named after – Ramon Magsaysay, the third president of Philippines
♦ Presented – every year
♦ Awarded to – individuals who exhibit selfless service and transformative influence
♦ President of Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation – Carmencita Abella
Cricketer Virat Kohli was presented with International Player of the Year award for 2017 and
2018 by The Barmy Army
On 25th July 2018, Virat Kohli was awarded the International Cricket of the Year for 2017 and 2018 by
England’s Barmy Army after the first day of India’s tour match against Essex, in Chelmsford, England.
i. Barmy Army is a popular group of English cricket fans. At present, the Indian cricket team is in
England to play a 4 day friendly match against country side Essex.
ii. In 2018, Virat Kohli has played 19 matches in various formats and has scored 1181 runs with an
average of 65.61. He has scored four hundred and four half-centuries.
118 | P a g e
iii. Also, he became the fastest to score 3000 one-day international runs as captain.
Ramakanta Rath conferred Odisha’s highest literary award

On July 26, 2018, Eminent Poet Ramakanta Rath was conferred with Odisha’s highest literary
award Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman for 2018. He is a former chief secretary of Odisha and a Padma
Bhusan awaredee.He got Sahitya Akademi Award in 1977, Saraswathi Samman in 1992,
Bishuva Samman in 1990.
i. It was given to him by Culture and Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda at an event organized
by Odisha Sahitya Akademi.
ii. The award carries a citation and cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
iii. He was given the award for his life time contribution to Odia literature.
iv. Apart from Mr.Rath, the Akademi also felicitated 15 other litterateurs of the state.
UN’s top environment award Champion of Earth Prize-2018 presented to CIAL

On July 27, 2018, The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has been selected for the Champion
of Earth Prize-2018.
i. It is the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations.
ii .CIAL will be given the award in on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly ceremony in New York
on September 26.
iii. Cochin Airport a first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy.
iv. By September 2018, the solar capacity at CIAL will be increased to 40 MWp.
v. It will give 60 million units per annum power and save Rs 40 crore per annum of the airport.
About CIAL:
CIAL, the company which owns and operates country’s first airport which became power neutral in
August, 2015 with the commissioning of its 12 MWp solar power plant.
About Champion of Earth award:
♦ Founded: 2005.
♦ Purpose: to recognise outstanding environmental leaders in public and private sectors.
Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel bagged the Senior Fellowship Award for 2016-17 instituted by the
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training Centre
Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel has received the Senior Fellowship Award for 2016-17 instituted by the
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training Centre.
i.He is a Kalaburagi-based artist. This fellowship includes a cash of Rs 4.8 lakh.
ii. This fellowship is awarded to persons eligible to work on a particular subject in the field of art and
culture for 2 years.
iii.He has been selected to work on Deccan Heritage with a special reference to Bahmani Sultanate
through his digital painting.
iv. He received the National Lalitkala Academy award in 2014. At present, he is a member of the
Karnataka Lalithakala Academy.
About Centre for Cultural Resources and Training Centre:
♦ Functions under – Union Ministry of Culture
♦ Director – Shri G.C. Joshi
♦ Location – New Delhi
Ministry of Earth Sciences celebrated Foundation day; Dr. Kusala Rajendran won National
award for women scientist
On 27th July 2018, the Ministry of Earth Sciences celebrated its foundation day at Vigyan Bhavan in
New Delhi.
i. Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST (Department of Science & Technology) was the Chief
Guest of the function .
ii. The foundation day lecture was given by Dr. Asahiko Taira, President, Japan Agency for Marine-
119 | P a g e
Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

iii. Following is the list of award winners honoured at the event:
Award Winners
Life Time Excellence award Professor K. S. Valdiya from JNCASR, Bengaluru
(for contribution in isotope geoscience)
National Awards for Ocean Science & Dr. Satheesh Shenoi, Director, INOCIS,
technology Hyderabad & Dr. R. Venkatesan, NIOT, Chennai
National Award for Atmospheric Science & Dr. B. V. Krishna Murthy, Retd. Director, SPL,
technology ISRO
National award for Geoscience & technology Prof. Sekhar Muddu, IISc, Bengaluru and Prof
Sunil Bajpai, Director, BSIP, Lucknow
National award for women scientist Dr. Kusala Rajendran, IISc, Bengaluru
Young Researcher Awards Dr. Mala S. Bagiya, IIG, Mumbai andDr. Praveen
Kumar, INOCIS, Hyderabad (for work in Earth
Science & Technology)
About Ministry of Earth Sciences:
♦ Union Minister for Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences – Dr. Harsh
Vardhan
♦ Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences – Dr. M. Rajeevan
Assamese film “Xhoihobote Dhemalite” wins 3 top awards at the 3rd Love International Film
Festival in United States
On 28th July 2018, Assamese film “Xhoihobote Dhemalite” (“Rainbow Fields”) won 3 top awards at the
3rd Love International Film Festival in United States.
i. Xhoihobote Dhemalite won awards for: the best film, best actress (Dipannita Sharma) and best
music (Anurag Saikia).
ii. The film was directed by Bidyut Kotoky. Bidyut Kotoky received the award for the movie under best
film category.
iii. The film portrays the issues of children of Assam growing up in violent times.
iv. Xhoixobote Dhemalite became the first Assamese film to be commercially released in the US. Over
150 films from 36 countries participated in the festival.
Mohun Bagan ‘Ratna’ conferred on former India international Pradip Chowdhury

On 29th July 2018, Mohun Bagan ‘Ratna’, the highest honour of Mohun Bagan club was awarded to
former India international Pradip Chowdhury at its foundation day programme.
i.He is a former Mohun Bagan captain. He was also the India team manager.
ii. He is the 18th recipient of Mohun Bagan ‘Ratna’ award. This award was first given to Sailen Manna
in 2001.
iii. In 2017, former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya won this award.
iv. Other awardees are:
 Goalkeeper Shilton Paul– Best Footballer for the year 2017-18
 Sudip Chatterjee– Best Cricketer
 Sourav Das– Best Youth Footballer Player
 Special award to – Rahim Alifor his performance in the U-17 World Cup
About Mohun Bagan Athletic Club:
♦ President – Mr. Swapan Sadhan Bose
♦ Based in – Kolkata
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has been bestowed with INFRA Icon Award in the
‘Global Energy’ category
On 27th July 2018, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was awarded the INFRA Icon Award in
the ‘Global Energy’ category at the mid-day INFRA Icons Awards 2018, in Mumbai.
120 | P a g e
i. The award was given away by Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA), Pravin Darare.
ii. The award was received by Executive Director-Head Regional Office, ONGC Mumbai, S. Gopinath.
iii. ONGC has received this award as a recognition of its valuable contribution in upgrading India as a
whole.
iv. The ‘INFRA Icons’, is an initiative by mid-day. It aims to bring a change with trendsetters related to
the infrastructure of India.
v. The theme of the event was: ‘Smart cities envisages to take infrastructure development to a next
level’.
vi. ONGC is the world’s second largest exploration and production (E&P) company.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi to receive 24th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award

Gopalkrishna Gandhi has been chosen for the 24th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for his
contribution in promoting communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
i.He is a former governor of West Bengal. He will be presented with this award at an event on
20th August 2018 at Jawahar Bhawan in Delhi.
ii.The award contains a citation and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The award is presented on the birthday
anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
iii. The award was instituted to honour Rajiv Gandhi’s remarkable contribution to promote peace,
communal harmony and struggle against violence.
HDFC awarded best performing primary lending institution in CLSS scheme

HDFC has received the best performing primary lending institution in Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme
(CLSS) for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and LIG (Low Income Group) category.
i. The award was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was received by Renu Sud Karnad,
Managing Director, HDFC.
ii. During FY18 HDFC approved 38 % of home loans in volume terms and 19 % in value terms to
customers from the EWS and LIG category.
iii. On an average HDFC has been approving 8,200 loans per month for the EWS and LIG segment, with
the monthly average approvals at around Rs. 1,312 crore.
About Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS):
♦ Launched in – June 2015
♦ Launched under – Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
♦ Purpose – to offer home loans to customers from EWS (Economically Weaker Section), Middle
Income Group and LIG (Low Income Group)
Shivangi Pathak from Haryana scales Mount Kilimanjaro

Haryana’s Shivangi Pathak has successfully scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of Africa.
i. Shivangi Pathak is 17 years old. Recently, she became the youngest Indian woman to reach the peak
of Mount Everest. She was given title ‘The Eagle of Mountain’.
ii. Now, she has scaled the 5,895m high Mount Kilimanjaro from the Marangu route in 3 days from
21st July to 24th July 2018.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

ICC elects 3 Board Associate Member Directors
On 29th June 2018, Imran Khwaja, Mahinda Vallipuram and Tony Brian were elected as the associate
member directors on the International Cricket Council (ICC) board at the ICC annual conference.
i. Imran Khwaja hails from Singapore. Mahinda Vallipuram is from Malaysia. They both have retained
their position as associate member directors.
ii. Tony Brian from Scotland has been appointed the new associate member director. He succeeds
121 | P a g e
Namibia’s Francois Erasmus.

iii. The newly-elected directors will be on the ICC board for a term of 2 years. They were elected by
the voting associate members of ICC and the regional representatives.
Indian American Seema Nanda appointed CEO of Democratic National Committee (DNC) of
United States
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) of United States has appointed Indian American Seema
Nanda as its new CEO.
i. Seema Nanda has become the first Indian American to be appointed as operational head of a major
American political party.
ii. She is at present the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Leadership
Conference on Civil and Human Rights, United States.
BoM MD and CEO Ravindra Marathe and executive director R K Gupta divested of duties
Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) MD and CEO Ravindra Marathe and executive director R K Gupta have
been divested of all their functional responsibilities with immediate effect.
Another Executive Director A.C. Rout has been given the responsibilities of MD and CEO of Bank of
Maharashtra.
K B Vijay Srinivas appointed Director& GM of United India Insurance Company

On 30th June 2018, United India Insurance Company announced that it has appointed K B Vijay
Srinivas as its Director and General Manager with effect from 1st July 2018.
i. Before this, K B Vijay Srinivas was serving as Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager of
National Insurance Company Ltd.
ii. K B Vijay Srinivas has over 37 years of experience. He has also written articles in journals of
insurance, tax and other subjects.He is also an associate member of Insurance Institute of India.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexican Leftist elected as Mexico’s new President
On July 1,2018, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won Mexico’s presidency with the widest margin in a
presidential election since the 1980s.He replaced President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Elevation of 15 Executive Directors as PSU Bank MDs: The Banks Board Bureau
On July 2, 2018, The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended 15 executive directors to be
elevated as managing directors (MD) at various public sector banks.
i. The panel was headed by former Department of Personnel and Training Secretary B P Sharma.
ii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the
final decision in this regard.
About the appointments:
Name Earlier post Appointed as Bank
Anushula Kant Deputy Managing managing SBI
Director and CFO director
B Sriram Managing Director MD and CEO IDBI
(SBI)
Padmaja Chunduru Deputy Managing Managing SBI
Karnam Sekar Director Directors
Mrutyunjay Mahapatra
Pallav Mohapatra
J Packirisamy
C V Nageswar
Gopal Murli Bhagat Executive Corporation Bank
P V Bharathi Directors Canara Bank
Atul Kumar Goel Union Bank of India
122 | P a g e
S Harisankar Allahabad Bank

Ashok Kumar Pradhan United Bank of India
CH S S Mallikarjuna Rao Syndicate Bank
M K Bhattacharya Indian Bank
A S Rajeev
About the BBB:
♦ It is the advisory body formed by the government for selection of candidates for top level board
appointments.
♦ It was announced by Union Government in August 2015 as part of seven point Indradhanush
Mission to revamp PSBs and based on recommendations of RBI-appointed Nayak Committee.
♦ The first BBB was set up in February 2016 under chairmanship of former CAG Vinod Rai.
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai.
SBI appointed Arijit Basu as MD

On July 2, 2018, The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has selected Arijit
Basu as Managing Director of the bank.
i. He will be in charge of commercial credit and IT, and will also hold additional charge of stressed
assets resolution group. He will fill in the post vacated by Rajnish Kumar, who has been elevated as
the chairman of the bank.
ii. He will hold the post till 31 October, 2020, the date of his superannuation, or until further
orders.Prior to becoming deputy managing director, he served as managing director of SBI Life
Insurance.
Other Appointments of SBI:
i. Recently Anshula Kant has been appointed in the post as well after the former MD B.Sriram has been
appointed as MD and CEO of IDBI Bank.
ii. As per the SBI Act, the bank can have four managing directors.
Saraswati Prasad assumes charge as SAIL CMD

On 30th June 2018, Saraswati Prasad was appointed the new chairman and managing director (CMD)
of SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited).
i. Saraswati Prasad is the special secretary and financial advisor in the steel ministry. He has been
given additional charge of SAIL CMD.
ii. He succeeds incumbent CMD P K Singh who has retired. P K Singh assumed office as SAIL chairman
in 2015. Earlier, he was the chief executive officer of SAIL’s Durgapur Steel Plant.
P K Shrivastava new director general and chairman of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)
P K Shrivastava took charge as the new director general and chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board
(OFB) with effect from 1st July 2018.
i. Earlier, P K Shrivastava was the additional director general of ordnance factories and member of
OFB. Also, he was in-charge of OFB’s Armoured Vehicles headquarters at Avadi, Chennai.
ii. He joined Indian Ordnance Factories’ Service in 1982. He has served in Ammunition Factory
Khadki, Vehicle Factory Jabalpur, Ordnance Factory Varangaon, Ordnance Factory Khamaria,
Armoured Vehicles headquarters and at OFB headquarters as member of personnel division.He has
also written a book named ‘Total Quality Management’.
Vishwas Patel appointed as Chairman of Payments Council of India

On 2nd July 2018, the Payments Council of India announced that, it has appointed Vishwas Patel as its
new Chairman.He replaces Naveen Surya, who has been promoted as Chairman Emeritus.
i.He has been associated with the Payments Council of India since 2013. He was serving as Co-
Chairman of Payments Council of India.
ii.Also, Loney Antony, Managing Director, Hitachi Payment Services has been appointed the new Co-
Chairman of Payments Council of India.
123 | P a g e
About Payments Council of India:

♦ Purpose – represents companies in the payments and settlement system
♦ Formed in – 2013
♦ Formed under – Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI].
Muthoot Pappachan Group appoints Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador

The Muthoot Pappachan Group has named actress Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador.
i. Vidya Balan has been appointed the brand ambassador for 2 years. The Muthoot Pappachan group
will launch a new ad campaign, including TV commercials.
ii. A senior official of the Group said that, Rs 50 crore has been allotted for marketing campaign for
this fiscal.
iii. Muthoot Pappachan Group is mainly involved in the financial services business. It is into two-
wheeler finance, micro-finance, affordable housing finance, health, life and general insurance, precious
metals, automotive, realty, hospitality and IT businesses, etc.
Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel appointed Chairperson of National Green Tribunal

Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has been appointed the chairperson of National Green Tribunal.
i. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel retired as Supreme Court judge on 6th July 2018.He is taking charge after
Justice Swatanter Kumar’s retirement on 19th December 2018.
ii. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel was elevated to Supreme Court on 7th July 2014. Earlier he was Chief
Justice of the Orissa High Court and the Gauhati High Court.He had also served as executive chairman
of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority.
About National Green Tribunal (NGT):
♦ Purpose – disposes cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other
natural resources
♦ First chairperson of NGT – Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta, appointed on October 18, 2010
Uday Kumar Varma appointed BCCC member

Uday Kumar Varma has been appointed a member of the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council
(BCCC).
i.He is a former Information and Broadcasting secretary. He is a former IAS officer of 1976 batch from
the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He was also a member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
ii.He succeeds Wajahat Habibullah, whose term at the BCCC has ended recently. Wajahat Habibullah is
a former information commissioner.
About Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC):
♦ Purpose – a self-regulatory body for general entertainment channels
♦ Members – 13
♦ Chairperson – former Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramajit Sen
♦ Some of its members – actor Sharmila Tagore, theatre person Arundhati Nag, JNU professor Ira
Bhaskar and representatives of the National Commission for Women, National Commission for the
Protection of Child Rights and the National Commission for Minorities, etc.
Dipika Pallikal to represent Asia in CGF Athletes Advisory Commission

On 5th July 2018, Indian squash player Dipika Pallikal was appointed Asia’s representative in the
Athletes Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
i.Each continent is represented by 1 athlete in CGFAAC. The Indian Olympic Association/CGA India
had proposed the name of Dipika Pallikal to represent Asia in the CGFAAC.
ii.Dipika Pallikal is a Commonwealth gold medallist. The CGF Athletes Advisory Commission is a body
that represents and speaks on behalf of all Commonwealth athletes.
iii. The CGFAAC has 7 Commonwealth athletes and medallists at present. Indian Olympic Association
(IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta congratulated Dipika Pallikal on her appointment.
124 | P a g e
Dhanlaxmi Bank appointed T. Latha as MD and CEO.

On July 10, 2018, Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited has appointed T Latha as the Managing Director & CEO.
i. She will replace G Sreeram, who has retired from the office on July 1, 2018, on completion of his
tenure.Her appointment will be for a period of three years w.e.f July 2, 2018.
ii.Earlier she was a General Manager in Punjab National Bank, she was in charge of credit operations
dealing with large corporate credits and has handled Finance, Credit, Strategic Business Development,
People Management, NPA Resolution and Audit.
iii. Latha has 35 years of banking experience with Punjab National Bank on fields like Branch
Management, Regional Management and National Level Credit Management handling a portfolio of
around Rs 400 billion.
Olympian Dipa Karmakar to be named Tripura’s brand ambassador

On July 11, 2018, The BJP Tripura state committee proposed the government to appoint gold medal
winner in the prestigious FIG World Challenge Cup in Mersin in Turkey Dipa Karmakar, as brand
ambassador of the state.
24 year old Dipa had created history becoming the first Indian to finish fourth in gymnastics at the
Olympics.She is also the first from India to win a gold medal in an international gymnastics event.
Nina Tshering La appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Democratic Republic of
Congo
On July 11, 2018, Ms. Nina Tshering La has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to
the Democratoc Republic of Congo.She is presently Deputy Chief of Mission, Hanoi.
Tushar Arothe resigns as India women’s cricket coach

On 10th July 2018, India Women’s Cricket Team Coach Tushar Arothe resigned from his position citing
personal reasons.
i. During his stint with the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, the team reached the final of the ICC
Women’s World Cup in 2017.
ii. In 2018, the team won the 3-match One Day International (ODI) series and 5-match T20I series in
South Africa. Also, the team reached the final of the Asia Cup held in Malaysia.
Navin Agarwal re-elected as Whole Time Director of mining company Vedanta Ltd.
On July 13,2018, Metals and Mining company Vedanta Ltd. has re-appointed Navin Agarwal as a
Whole time Director.
i. This appointment is for another five-year period starting from August 1, 2018 and is subjected to
stakeholders’ approval.
ii. The company also announced that he has been re-elected as chairman of the company as well with
effect from August 1, 2018.
Amitabh Malhotra appointed HSBC India Head – Investment Banking

On July 13,2018 The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC) had appointed
Amitabh Malhotra as the head of investment banking for HSBC India.He will lead the Investment
Banking and Equity Capital Markets (ECM) business. Previously, he has worked at Rothschild India.
Brij Bhushan Saran Singh to be named India’s Chef de Mission at Asian Games
Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Saran Singh would be named the Chef de
Mission of the Asian Games-bound Indian contingent.
i. The 4 deputy Chefs de Mission to be appointed are:
 B S Kushwaha(former secretary of Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Federation)
 R K Sacheti(Executive Director of Boxing Federation of India
 D K Singh(Uttarakhand Olympic Association)
 Colonel R K Swain(Secretary of Equestrian Federation of India)
125 | P a g e
ii. The IOA had announced a 524-member contingent of athletes for the Asian Games, that is to be held
from 18th August to 2ndSeptember 2018, in Indonesia.
Seven new members take oath in Rajya Sabha

On 18th July 2018, seven new members took oath of office in the Rajya Sabha.
i. The seven members who took oath in Rajya Sabha are:
 Rakesh Sinha
 Sonal Mansingh
 Raghunath Mohapatra
 Ram Shakal
 Elamaram Kareem
 Binoy Viswam
 Jose K Mani
ii. Rakesh Sinha of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is the founder and honorary director of India
Policy Foundation. India Policy Foundation is a Delhi-based think tank. He took oath in Hindi.
iii. Sonal Mansingh is a popular Indian classical dancer. He performs Bharatnatyam and Odissi. He
took oath in Hindi.
iv. Raghunath Mohapatra is an internationally renowned sculptor and architect. He took oath in Odia.
v. Ram Shakal is a former BJP lawmaker. He took oath in Hindi.
vi. Three newly elected members from Kerala are: CPI(M) leader and CITU state general secretary
Elamaram Kareem, Binoy Viswam of CPI and Jose K Mani of Kerala Congress.
vii. In Lok Sabha, 4 new members: Kukade Madhukarrao Yashwantrao (NCP), Gavit Rajendra Dhedya
(BJP), Tokheho (NDPP) and Tabassum Begum (RLD) took oath of office.
Tata Capital appoints Anil Kaul as Managing Director of Tata Capital Housing Finance
Tata Capital has appointed Anil Kaul as the Managing Director of Tata Capital Housing Finance, with
effect from 18th July 2018.
i. Anil Kaul succeeds R Vaithianathan. He has more than 20 years of experience in the financial
services sector and retail lending business.
ii. He has held senior management positions at ICICI Bank, ICICI Lombard, Citibank, Standard
Chartered Plc.
Central government renews appointment of Prof Sahasrabudhe as AICTE chairman

The central government has renewed the appointment of Prof D Sahasrabudhe as the chairman of
the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).The renewal of appointment of Prof D
Sahasrabudhe as AICTE Chairman has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
till he attains the age of 65 years.
Hima Das to be Assam sports ambassador

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has named Indian Athlete Hima Das as the first sports
ambassador of Assam.
i. This announcement has been made after Hima Das became the first Indian woman to win gold
medal in the women’s 400 m final race at IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships held in France,
recently.
ii. Hima Das registered a time of 51.46s and finished in the top position surpassing Romania’s Andrea
Miklos and USA’s Taylor Manson. Hima Das is 18 years old.
Arman Ali appointed executive director of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for
Disabled People (NCPEDP)
On 19th July 2018, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People
(NCPEDP) said that, it has appointed Arman Ali as its executive director.
i.He will take charge as executive director of NCPEDP on 1st October 2018. Javed Abidi, who was the
126 | P a g e
director of the NCPEDP, died on 4th March 2018 following a chest infection. He was 53 years old.
ii.He is the executive director of Shishu Sarothi from 2009. Shishu Sarothi is the Centre for
Rehabilitation and Training for Multiple Disability.
iii. He is a member of the National Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and also a
partner of the National Disability Network.
Analjit Singh appointed as Non-executive Chairman on board of Max Financial Services Ltd
On 23rd July 2018, the Board of Max Financial Services (MFS) named Mr. Analjit Singh, Founder and
Chairman Emeritus of the Max Group, as the non-executive Chairman of Max Financial Services (MFS).
i. Max Financial Services is the listed holding company for Max Life Insurance Company. It was
established after the demerger of Max India Limited.
ii. That demerger resulted in 3 independent listed entities: Max Financial Services, Max India Limited
and Max Ventures & Industries Limited. These 3 entities comprise the Max Group.
iii. Analjit Singh is the sponsor and principal shareholder of MFS, Max India and MVIL. He succeeds
Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai.
iv. Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai will continue on the Board of MFS for her full term as an independent, Non-
executive director.
v. Rahul Khosla, Max Group President will continue as Group President and in all his current executive
roles till August 2019.
vi. Mohit Talwar will continue as Vice Chairman, Max Ventures and Industries Limited and Managing
Director of MFS and Max India.
Rishi Srivastava appointed as CEO & MD of TATA AIA

On July 24, 2018, Tata AIA Life announced the appointment of Rishi Srivastava as the new Chief
Executive Officer & Managing Director starting August 1, 2018.
i. He will replace current Chief Executive Officer Naveen Tahilyani who will be the Chief Executive
Officer, Group Partnership Distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong.
ii.He is currently Chief of Proprietary Channels, Product, Marketing & Corporate Communication at
Tata AIA.
iii. He was previously Chief Agency Officer at ICICI Prudential then General Manager at ICICI Bank and
then as Director of the Agency business in Jakarta to AXA.
Justice Tahira Safdar to be first woman chief justice of any court in Pakistan
i.On 23rd July 2018, Justice Tahira Safdar was made the Chief Justice of the Balochistan high court,
Pakistan, by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar. This makes her the first woman chief justice of any court
in Pakistan.
ii.She will take charge as Chief Justice of the Balochistan high court following the retirement of
incumbent Mohammad Noor Muskanzai. Mohammad Noor Muskanzai superannuates on 31st August
2018.
Pakistan’s cricket legend Imran Khan elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan
On July 27, 2018, The former Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan has claimed victory in Pakistan’s Election
of 2018.
i. The 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician is representing Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI).
ii. He contested against Shahbaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). He will
replace former Pm Nawaz Sharif.
India U-20 coach Floyd Pinto named head coach of Indian Arrows in I-League (football)
On 25th July 2018, India’s under-20 football coach Floyd Pinto was named the head coach of Indian
Arrows side for the upcoming I-League season, after the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF)
Technical Committee meeting.
i.He replaces Portuguese Luis Norton de Matos. Luis Norton de Matos resigned from his position on
127 | P a g e
18th July 2018, due to personal reasons.

ii. Indian Arrows side will mostly comprise of India U-20 players. Floyd Pinto will guide the Indian U-
20 national team in the COTIF International tournament that begins on 29th July 2018 in Spain.
Renu Satti quits as Paytm Payments Bank CEO, to head ‘New Retail’ initiative at company
Paytm Payments Bank CEO Renu Satti has resigned from her position. Now, she will lead as COO
(Chief Operating Officer)of the ‘New Retail’ initiative.
i. A new CEO is yet to be appointed for the Paytm Payments Bank. Renu Satti was made the CEO of
Paytm Payments Bank in 2017.
ii. Renu Satti will take charge of the ‘New Retail’ initiative as COO. Under the ‘New Retail’ model, soon
customers will be able to discover nearby pharmacies, groceries etc. to order and receive fast
deliveries.
Anil Kumar Chawla appointed as FOC-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command

Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla has been appointed as the next Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of
the Southern Naval Command.
i. At present, Anil Kumar Chawla is the Chief of Personnel at the Integrated Headquarters of the
Ministry of Defence (Navy), at Delhi.
ii. He will succeed Vice Admiral AR Karve, who will superannuate on 31st July 2018.
iii. Anil Kumar Chawla is a Navigation & Direction specialist. He has commanded 5 ships in his career.
He was also the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet.
HSBC India appoints Surendra Rosha as CEO
On 30th July 2018, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) announced that, Surendra
Rosha has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for HSBC India.
i.He is at present HSBC’s Head of Financial Institutions Group (FIG) for Asia-Pacific.
ii. He will replace Jayant Rikhye as CEO of HSBC India. Jayant Rikhye is taking leave due to medical
reasons.
iii. Surendra Rosha joined HSBC’s Indian operations in 1991. He has worked in forex trading,
corporate treasury sales, treasury and capital markets in several countries.
ACQUISITION & MERGER

Manappuram Finance to acquire 85% stake in ISFC for Rs 212 crore
Manappuram Finance has agreed to buy 85.39 % stake in Indian School Finance company (ISFC) for
more Rs 212 crore.
i. Manappuram Finance has also signed a transfer restrictions agreement with Indian School Finance
Company and some continuing shareholders of ISFC.
ii. Manappuram Finance said that the total cost of acquisition is Rs 212.20 crore. This acquisition is
subject to approval of the Reserve Bank of India and other customary conditions precedent.
Zaggle announces acquisition of Click&Pay

Zaggle, a payments and group dining company, has acquired Click&Pay, a tech start-up, backed by
Dubai-based investors, in a cash-and-stock deal.
i. Click&Pay is based in Hyderabad. This acquisition will help Zaggle to develop an expense
management platform and develop a unique value proposition for its customers.
ii. After acquisition, Click&Pay team of 25 members will join the Zaggle team that has over 150
members.
SEBI approves Bharti Infratel, Indus Tower merger deal

On July 25, 2018, Sebi has given approval to the merger of Bharti Airtel and Indus Towers.
128 | P a g e
i. Bharti Airtel has received clearance from the BSE and NSE for the merger and will approach for
approval of National Company Law Tribunal.
i. The merger of Bharti Airtel will Indus Towers would create the largest mobile tower operator in the
world outside China.
ii. The combined company will own 100 per cent of Indus Towers — jointly owned by Bharti Infratel
(42 percent holding), Vodafone (42 percent), Idea Group (11.15 percent) and Providence (4.85
percent).
iii. Airtel will have 37.2 per cent in the combined entity.The transaction values Indus Towers at Rs
71,500 crore.
Government gives final nod to Vodafone-Idea merger; India’s largest mobile operator –
“Vodafone Idea Limited” created
On 26th July 2018, the government gave the final approval for the merger of Vodafone and Idea
Cellular that will result in the creation of India’s largest mobile operator with 35% market share and
nearly 430 million subscribers.
i. This move has been made days after Idea Cellular and Vodafone India made a joint payment
of Rs 7,268.78 crore ‘under protest’ to the Department of Telecom (DoT) for merging their mobile
businesses.
ii. Vodafone Idea Limited is estimated to be worth more than USD 23 billion. Kumar Mangalam
Birla will be the non-executive Chairman and Balesh Sharma will be the new CEO of Vodafone Idea
Limited.
iii.Vodafone will own 45.1 % stake in Vodafone Idea Limited. Aditya Birla Group will own 26 % and
Idea shareholders will own 28.9 %.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Successful launch of SES-12 satellite to help fast-track Digital India
Deepak Mathur, Executive Vice-President, Global Sales at SES Video, said that, the successful launch of
SES-12 satellite recently will help India’s direct-to-home (DTH) TV market.
i. Deepak Mathur said that, in line with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recent
directive to allow mobile and Internet services in Indian airspace, the satellite’s concentrated beams
could also offer cost-effective capacity to enable inflight connectivity services.
ii. SES-12 is designed with advanced wide beams and high throughput beams. It was successfully
launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, in June 2018.
iii. It would replace and augment the services currently provided by SES NSS-6 satellite. Along with
SES-8, SES-12 will reach 18 million TV homes.
iv. The advanced technology satellite will offer coverage from the Middle East to Australia.
v. This combines 2 satellites into 1. It offers powerful Ku-band wide beams for broadcast and media
applications, high throughput spot beams for internet connectivity, reliable cellular services and
content targeted at specific language groups.
vi. SES-12 is one of the largest geostationary satellites of SES. It also has a Digital Transparent
Processor (DTP) that increases payload flexibility to offer much more customisable bandwidth
solutions to customers.
vii. Over India, SES has 5 satellites: NSS-12, SES-8, NSS-6, SES-7 and SES-9. SES-12 will replace NSS-6
as the largest satellite to offer services over India.
viii. SES-12 spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space. It joins SES network of 7 geostationary
satellites and 16 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Centauri I of Fleet Space Technologies ,Australia to fly on ISRO’s PSLV

On July 3, 2018, Fleet Space Technologies, an IoT (Internet of Things) startup, disclosed last week that
its first 10-kg nano-satellite Centauri I would fly to space on a PSLV later this year.
129 | P a g e
i. Co-founder and CEO Flavia Tata Nardini said that it is developing a series of 10-kg nano-satellites
about the size of a shoe box
ii. PSLV was chosen because of : Lighter Payload, Low Cost connectivity.
iii. The PSLV’s three versions can lift satellites of 1,000-1,750 kg to distances of around 600 km in
pole-to-pole orbits.
iv. This would enable low-cost connectivity for agriculture, logistics, mining and other industries.
v. It will establish a global network that will connect 75 billion sensors and devices, for free
vi. The second nanosat, Centauri II, is to be launched on the U.S. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket later this
year.
‘Epidiolex’ – world’s first medicine made from marijuana

On 25th June 2018, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time approved the use
of Epidiolex, an oral solution made from marijuana, for the treatment of seizures related to 2 rare and
severe forms of epilepsy. Epidiolex:
i. Epidiolex is a plant-derived oral solution of cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main
ingredient of marijuana that does not cause intoxication or a euphoric high.
ii. The drug will be used to cure 2 severe forms of epilepsy namely Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and
Dravet syndrome.
iii. It was the first time the FDA approved a drug to treat Dravet syndrome. Dravet syndrome is a rare
genetic condition that occurs during the first year of life characterized by frequent fever-related
seizures.
iv. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome starts in childhood, usually between 3 to 5 years of age. It is
characterised by multiple types of seizures.
v. People affected with these disorders have tonic seizures that cause the muscles to contract
uncontrollably.
vi. Epidolex was created by GW Pharmaceuticals. It is the first prescription, plant-derived cannabinoid
medicine in the US. It is also the first in a new class of anti-epileptic medications.
vii. The drug is a pharmaceutical formulation of pure cannabidiol (CBD). FDA-has approved it for the
treatment of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome for patients 2 years of age or older.
Scientists identify gene that strengthens human immunity system

Scientists of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia have
identified the gene that strengthens the human immunity system.
i. This gene plays a major role in regulating the body’s immune response to infection including cancer
and diabetes.
ii. The gene has not yet been named. It is currently referred to as C6 or f106. It has existed for over
500 million years.
iii. It has been preserved and passed down from simple organisms to humans. This identification
could lead to the development of new treatments for various diseases including cancer, diabetes and
inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
ISRO’s first PAT (pad abort test) successful

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that, the first ‘pad abort’ test was
performed successfully on 5th July 2018 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
i. The Pad Abort Test showed safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch
pad.
ii. The PAT (pad abort test) is the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system technology of
a manned mission in the future.
iii. The Crew Escape System is an emergency escape method to quickly pull the crew module, the
astronaut cabin, along with astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in case of a launch
abort.
iv. The teams also tried out at least 5 new secondary technologies associated with satellite
130 | P a g e
communication, navigation and telemetry during the test.

v. The Crew Escape System with a simulated 12.6-tonne crew module lifted off from its pad. It was
propelled on its own 7 specially made complex in-built rockets.
vi. In the next 4 odd minutes, it reached an altitude of 2.7 km. It turned into the Bay of Bengal on
parachutes.
vii. It landed in sea at a distance of 2.9 km from the launch centre. 3 recovery boats were retrieved the
module.
viii. The rockets are powered by solid-fuel. They are specially designed for fast ejection of the crew
module and astronauts to a safe distance without exceeding the safe G-levels.
ix. Over 300 sensors recorded several functional aspects of the mission during the test flight.
Scientists discover new method to view proteins in human cells

Scientists of the University of Warwick have produced a new method of microscopy that enables to
view proteins under human cells.
i. Scientists have procured a tagging device called FerriTag. FerriTag utilizes a protein shell used to
contain iron cells in human bodies.
ii. This device uses electron microscopy to enable proteins to be viewed at a precise scale.
iii. This device is helpful in allowing the cell to tag itself without creating any unnecessary harm by
placing it outside the cell.
iv. The scientists experimented on clathrin-coated pits. They narrowed down the location of the
protein in the pit and on the inside of the cell’s surface. This study is published in the journal Nature
Communications.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe gets ‘revolutionary’ heat shield

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, the mission that aims to get the closest to the Sun than ever by any
human-made object has got its revolutionary heat shield “Thermal Protection System or
TPS” permanently attached to the spacecraft.
i. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will be launched in August 2018. The probe’s heat shield is called the
Thermal Protection System or TPS.
ii. It was reinstalled on the spacecraft on 27th June 2018. The re-installation of the heat shield was
attached to the spacecraft during testing in 2017.
iii. This mission has been in the making for 60 years. Parker Solar Probe will travel to the Sun’s
corona, a region of the solar atmosphere.
iv. The spacecraft’s orbit will carry it to within 4 million miles of the Sun’s surface with the help of its
heat shield. There the spacecraft will collect data about the inner workings of the corona.
v. The heat shield’s diameter is 8 feet. It will safeguard everything within its umbra, the shadow it
casts on the spacecraft.
vi. As Parker Solar Probe approaches closest to the Sun, temperatures on the heat shield will reach
around 1,371 degrees Celsius. But the spacecraft and its instruments will be maintained at a relatively
comfortable temperature of nearly 29.4 degrees Celsius.
vii. The heat shield consists of 2 panels of superheated carbon-carbon composite sandwiching a
lightweight 4.5-inch-thick carbon foam core.
viii. The Sun-facing side of the heat shield is sprayed with a specially formulated white coating to
reflect most of the Sun’s energy away from the spacecraft.
ix. Parker Solar Probe will travel at a speed of 69,2018 km per hour at its closest approach to the Sun.
The heat shield weighs only 72.5 kg.
2 satellites PRSS-1 and PAK-TES-1A were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in
northwest China
On 9th July 2018, Pakistan launched 2 indigenously built satellites named PRSS-1 and PAK-TES-1A into
the orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, through a Chinese-made launch vehicle.
131 | P a g e
i. The satellites were launched onboard a Chinese Long March (LM-2C) rocket. The first satellite sent
into space was PRSS1, a remote sensing satellite.
ii. It is a dual-purpose Earth observational and optical satellite. Now Pakistan has become one of the
few countries to establish its own remote sensing satellite into orbit.
iii. The second satellite launched was PAK-TES-1A. PAK-TES-1A has been developed by Pakistan’s
space agency, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
iv. This aims to enhance satellite manufacture capabilities in Pakistan. The 2 satellites were sent to
China since Pakistan does not have the infrastructure to launch such objects into space.
v. The PRSS1 has been developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). This is the
second time China and Pakistan have joined hands in the space sector.
vi. In 2011, Pakistan launched a communication satellite named PAKSAT-1R, with the help of China.
SpiNNaker: Novel computer mimics human brain networks

Scientists have developed a computer named “SpiNNaker” that mimics human brain’s neural
networks, and would overcome the speed and power consumption problems of conventional
supercomputers.
i. SpiNNaker is a custom-built computer. It generated similar results similar to that of the best brain-
simulation supercomputer software used at present for neural-signalling research.
ii. This system would help to advance our knowledge of neural processing in the brain, to include
learning and disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
iii. A researcher from the Julich Research Centre in Germany, said that, SpiNNaker can support
detailed biological models of the cortex.
iv. Cortex is the outer layer of the brain that receives and processes information from the senses.
v. The ability to run large-scale detailed neural networks at a fast pace and low power consumption
will advance robotics research and help studies on learning and brain disorders.
vi. A study regarding this has been published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
vii. So far we know very less about the translation of neural activity into behaviour, like turning
thought into muscle movement.
viii. Supercomputer software has helped by simulating the exchange of signals between neurons. But
it could only simulate 1 % of the human brain.
ix. SpiNNaker has been developed over the past 15 years. It is based on the structure and function of
the human brain.
x. It is part of the Neuromorphic Computing Platform of the Human Brain Project. It comprises half a
million of simple computing elements controlled by its own software.
xi. The researchers compared the accuracy, speed and energy efficiency of SpiNNaker with that of
NEST. NEST is a specialist supercomputer software used for brain neuron-signalling research.
xii. Simulations run on NEST and SpiNNaker showed similar results. SpiNNaker consists of 600 circuit
boards with more than 500,000 small processors.
Rare double asteroid discovered (Near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5): NASA

Near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5, an asteroid discovered in 2017, is actually two objects, each
around 900 metres in size and orbiting each other. This has been revealed by new observations made
by three of the world’s largest radio telescopes.
i. Near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5 was discovered with observations provided by the Morocco
Oukaimeden Sky Survey in December 2017.
ii. Details about the asteroid’s physical properties were not known until the end of June 2018.
iii. This is the fourth “equal mass” binary near-Earth asteroid ever detected that consists of two
objects nearly identical in size, orbiting each other.
iv. The new observations provide the most detailed images ever obtained of this type of binary
asteroid.
v. 21st June 2018, the asteroid 2017 YE5 made its closest approach to Earth for at least the next 170
years. It came within 6 million kilometers of Earth, or around 16 times the distance between Earth
132 | P a g e
and the Moon.

vi. On 21st and 22nd June 2018, observations by NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) in
California showed the first signs that 2017 YE5 might be a binary system.
vii. The observations showed two distinct lobes. But the asteroid’s orientation was such that scientists
could not see if the two bodies were separate or joined.
viii. Later, the two objects rotated to reveal a gap between them. Scientists at the Arecibo Observatory
in Puerto Rico along with researchers at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) in West Virginia
confirmed that 2017 YE5 consists of two separated objects.
ix. The new observations received between 21st June and 26th June 2018 showed that the two objects
revolve around each other once in every 20 to 24 hours.
x. Radar imaging shows that the two objects are larger than their combined optical brightness
originally suggested.
xi. The two rocks do not reflect as much sunlight as a typical rocky asteroid. 2017 YE5 is said to
be dark like charcoal.
xii. The Goldstone images taken on 21st June 2018 also shows a striking difference in the radar
reflectivity of the two objects.
xiii. This phenomenon was not seen earlier in over 50 other binary asteroid systems studied by radar
since 2000.
xiv. The reflectivity differences are also seen in the Arecibo images. This shows that the two objects
may have different densities, compositions near their surfaces, or different surface roughness.
xv. Scientists estimate that among near-Earth asteroids larger than 200 metres in size, nearly 15 %
are binaries with one larger object and a much smaller satellite. Equal-mass binaries like 2017 YE5
are very rare.
New radio telescope unveiled by South Africa for clearer image of distant galaxies
On July 13, 2018, South Africa has unveiled a powerful radio telescope, part of an international project
that scientists say will provide new details on the Milky Way and other galaxies.
i. They are releasing the “clearest view yet” of the centre of our galaxy through this telescope.
ii. It is known as the 64-antenna MeerKAT, which was completed after a decade of design and
construction.
iii. The Square Kilometere Array or SKA telescope had support from various countries
like Canada, China, India, Italy, Britain, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
iv. It has a radio telescope site in Australia as well as in South Africa.
About MeerKAT:
i. MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 mirrors.
ii. It the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere until the Square
Kilometer Array is completed in approximately 2024.
About Square Kilometer Array:
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is a large multi radio telescope project aimed to be built
in Australia and South Africa. If built, it would have a total collecting area of approximately one square
kilometer.
First-ever 3-D colour X-ray on a human performed by 2 New Zealand Scientists

On July 13,2018, the first-ever 3-D, colour X-ray on a human was done by 2 New Zealand
scientists named Phil and Anthony Butler (father and son).This was done using CERN’s imaging
technology called Medipix in its lab.
i. This consisted of using a technique that improves the field of medical diagnostics.
ii. The new device, based on the traditional black-and-white X-ray, incorporates particle-tracking
technology of CERN.
iii. It works like a camera detecting and counting individual sub-atomic particles as they collide with
pixels while its shutter is open. This allows for high-resolution, high-contrast pictures.
iv. According to the CERN, the images very clearly show the difference between bone, muscle and
133 | P a g e
cartilage and the position and size of cancerous tumours.

v. The technology is being commercialised by New Zealand, company MARS Bioimaging, linked to the
universities of Otago and Canterbury which helped develop it.
China to launch 300 low-orbit satellites named the Hongyan constellation to provide
worldwide communication services
On 16th July 2018, China announced that, it has planned to launch 300 low-orbit satellites named
the Hongyan constellation to offer worldwide communication services and the first in the series will
be launched in 2018.
i. The Hongyan constellation has more than 300 satellites and data processing centres. It will be built
in 3 stages. The first in the series will be launched in 2018.
ii. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said that, after completion, the satellite
communication network will take the place of the ground-based network.
iii. It will enable a mobile phone to be connected everywhere on earth, even in a remote desert or at
sea.
iv. The announcement was made at the Hunan Commercial Aviation Space and Marine Equipment
Forum held in Changsha, China on 12th July 2018.
v. China is already in the process of developing BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to compete
America’s Global Positioning System, (GPS).
vi. China uses BDS for its military applications to prevent dependence on GPS. The new constellation
is the first group of low-orbit communication satellites designed and to be launched by China.
vii. Low-orbit satellites have stronger signals and a shorter signal delay than synchronous orbit
satellites that are 36,000 km above the equator.
viii. The coverage of a single low-orbit satellite is limited. Hence more satellites are needed to cover
wider areas.
IIT-Madras unveils word’s first remotely operable LEAP microscope

On 16th July 2018, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) launched a remotely operable
microscope worth Rs. 40 crore, claimed to be the world’s first remotely operable LEAP microscope,
which will allow precise view of atoms of a material.
i. The Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) has been developed by the collaboration 8 major research
institutions in India. It was headed by IIT-M.
ii. IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Ropar, International Advanced Research
Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) contributed Rs. 2 crore each for the project.
iii. Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS) contributed Rs. 3 crore. Remaining funds were from
the Department of Science and Technology’s ‘Nano-mission’.
iv. Similar devices were already available in many parts of the world. But the LEAP launched at IIT-
Madras is the first one that can be operated through a special terminal by researchers divided
geographically.
v. Special terminals to operate the device have been established in all the 8 partner institutions.
vi. DST Secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma was present during the launch.
Twelve new moons discovered orbiting Jupiter

Scientists have discovered 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter, making the total number of natural
satellites circling around Jupiter to 79.
i. The discovery includes 11 “normal” outer moons, and one “oddball.” The researchers were led by
Scott S Sheppard from Carnegie Institution for Science, US.
ii. They first spotted the moons in 2017. Out of the new moons 9 are part of a distant outer swarm of
moons that orbit it in the retrograde, or opposite direction of Jupiter’s spin rotation.
iii. These distant retrograde moons are categorised into at least 3 distinct orbital groupings. They are
believed to be remnants of three once-larger parent bodies that broke during collisions with asteroids,
comets, or other moons.
134 | P a g e
iv. The newly discovered retrograde moons take nearly 2 years to orbit Jupiter. 2 of the new
discoveries are part of a closer, inner group of moons that orbit in the prograde, or same direction as
Jupiter’s rotation.
v. These inner prograde moons have similar orbital distances and angles of inclinations around
Jupiter.
vi. They are believed to be fragments of a larger moon that was broken. These 2 newly discovered
moons take a little less than 1 year to travel around Jupiter.
vii. The new “oddball” moon is more distant and more inclined than the prograde group of moons. It
takes about 1.5 years to orbit Jupiter. It has an orbit that crosses the outer retrograde moons.
viii. This might cause head-on collisions between the “oddball” prograde and the retrograde moons
that move in opposite directions.
ix. The “oddball” prograde moon is believed to be the last-remaining remnant of a once-larger
prograde-orbiting moon.
x. The name Valetudo has been proposed for it. It is the name of the Roman god Jupiter’s great-
granddaughter, the goddess of health and hygiene.
World’s first blood test to detect melanoma early developed

On 18th July 2018, Australian scientists said that, they have developed the world’s first blood test
capable of detecting melanoma in its early stages.
i. Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia said that, the new blood test will help
doctors detect melanoma before it spreads throughout the body.
ii. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. A trial was conducted with 105 people having
melanoma and 104 healthy controls.
iii. The blood test detected early stage melanoma in 79 % of the cases. At present, melanoma is
detected by a visual scan and biopsy.
iv. The biopsies involve taking a minimum of one square centimetre of skin from the patient.
v. The blood test works by detecting the autoantibodies the body generates as a response to
melanoma.
“Remote Sensing Toolkit” to Promote Commercial Use Of Satellite Data launched by NASA
On July 21, 2018, NASA launched an online toolkit “Remote Sensing Toolkit” to help users analyze
satellite data.
i. It provides a simple system that quickly identifies relevant sources based on user input.
ii. It can be used in the areas of : research, business projects or conservation efforts.
iii. The toolkit has ready-to-use tools and code to build new tools.
iv. Through its constellation of Earth observation satellites, NASA collects petabytes of data each year.
v. The Technology Transfer program will host a tutorial of Remote Sensing Toolkit.
Background:
The NASA Technology Transfer programme reviewed more than 50 websites and found that no
source was provided for data collection and research work. This prompted the US space agency to
introduce the Remote Sensing Toolkit.
Athena- a new satellite to provide broadband access to unserved and underserved areas will
be launched by Facebook in 2019
On July 21, 2018, Facebook announced that it is aiming to launch, ‘Athena’, its own internet satellite,
early in 2019.With an Objective to connect billions of people who are still offline.
i. It would provide broadband access to unserved and underserved areas throughout the world.
ii. Facebook has filed to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an applicant for the
project, under the name PointView Tech LLC.
iii. Aquila Mission to develop high-flying solar-powered drones to to develop high-flying solar-
powered drones.
135 | P a g e
iv. A small helicopter drone project that could temporarily replace cellular services in emergency
situations.Although these projects have been discontinued by Facebook now.
TreadWill: IIT Kanpur develops online tool to help people deal with mental health issues
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has created an online tool named TreadWill, to help
people overcome issues related to mental health.
i. TreadWill has been developed by a team with support from the Computer Science and Engineering
and Humanities and Social Sciences, HSS (Psychology) departments.
ii.T readWill is a website designed to help people deal with stress, low mood, lethargy and other
depressive symptoms by means of various online exercises, questionnaires and games.
iii. It will help in overcoming depressive symptoms and becoming more resilient against stressful
events in the future.
iv. TreadWill is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which helps people with depressive
symptoms.
v. Based on CBT, TreadWill uses simple language to help users identify involuntary negative thoughts
and behavior.
vi. Also, users are taught techniques to modifying their thoughts and actions.
vii. TreadWill will also help its users by sending personalised SMS alerts to help them stick to the
programme.
viii. TreadWill uses simple forms like thought record worksheet, core belief worksheet and games to
practice the techniques of CBT.
ix. TreadWill users can use support groups to share their experiences and to receive support from
other users.
x. Smaller groups of users named Peer Groups have been created as private spaces. There users can
follow each other’s progress. It will also help users to form bonds.
xi. In future, TreadWill will also cater to different language users and offer training for other disorders
like autism spectrum disorder.
xii. Users have to go through 6 modules in a period of 6 weeks. These modules will teach various skills
of CBT.
xiii. The users can finish these modules sitting at their respective places. The user’s mood will be
assessed at various stages to analyze usefulness of the programme.
xiv. Just 90 days after finishing the program, the research team would send a mail to users to check
the long-term effectiveness of the programme.
13th launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 Sets New Record of launching heaviest satellite ever
SpaceX conducted their 13th launch of the year with a Falcon 9 rocket launching the Telstar 19V
communications satellite for Canada’s Telesat.
i. It has set a record as the heaviest payload that a Falcon 9 has ever carried to a GTO.The satellite
weights over 7000 kg.
ii. Telstar 19 VANTAGE will offer coverage across the Americas and the Atlantic.
iii. The satellite has been produced by Space Systems Loral (SSL). The goal is to provide high-
throughput broadcast and internet services from Brazil to the northernmost regions of Canada.
First Lake Of Liquid Water Discovered On Mars by ESA’s MARSIS

On July 26, 2018, According to a report on US journal Science, a massive underground lake has been
detected for the first time on Mars.
i. The lake is about 20 kilometres wide, located under a layer of Martian ice and is the largest body of
liquid water ever found on the Red Planet.
ii.It lies almost 1.5 km beneath the icy surface in a harsh and frigid environment and the water is not
drinkable.
iii. The discovery was made using radar instruments on board the European Space Agency’s Mars
Express orbiter, which launched in 2003.
136 | P a g e
iv. The tool that detected this is called Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding
(MARSIS).
Bombali Virus (BOMV): New strain of Ebola virus discovered in Sierra Leone
The ministry of health of Sierra Leone, has confirmed that a new strain of Ebola virus named Bombali
Virus (BOMV) has been discovered in bats in the Bombali district of Sierra Leone.
i. It’s not yet known whether the new strain can develop into Ebola disease, if it is transmitted to
humans.
ii. Researchers are working with the Sierra Leone government to find out whether any humans were
infected.
iii. People have been warned not eat bats as a precautionary measure to prevent the disease.
China launches high-resolution Earth observation satellite “Gaofen-11”, to monitor BRI

On 31st July 2018, China successfully launched Gaofen-11 satellite, an optical remote sensing satellite,
as part of its high-resolution Earth observation project.
i. The Gaofen-11 satellite was launched on a Long March 4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch
Center in northern Shanxi Province, China.
ii. It was the 282nd flight mission on a Long March carrier rocket. This satellite will be useful in land
survey, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief.
iii. It will also provide data for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China introduced the Gaofen project
in 2010.
About Belt and Road Initiative (BRI):
♦ Launched in – 2013
♦ Launched by – China
♦ Aim – to connect Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of
land and sea routes
Rare bloodgroup ‘pp’ or ‘P null’ phenotype identified by doctors in Mangaluru
A rare blood group named “pp” or “P null” phenotype has been identified by doctors from Kasturba
Medical College (KMC) in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
i. ABO and Rh D are the most common blood group systems. But over 200 minor blood group antigens
apart from A, B and Rh exist.
ii. The Blood Bank of Kasturba Hospital received samples from a patient who was in urgent need of
blood transfusion.
iii. The doctors couldn’t find a compatible blood unit even after cross-matching it with over 80 units.
After serological test, it was confirmed that the patient’s cells contained the rare “pp” phenotype.
iv. It is the first time, P blood group null phenotype has been detected in India. The team of doctors
were led by Shamee Shastry.
137 | P a g e
DEFENCE
India’s most potent missile Agni-V to be inducted soon
India is currently in the process of inducting the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile
system Agni-V.
i. Agni-V will bring targets across China within its range. Agni-V missile system has a strike range of
5,000 km.
ii. It has the capacity to carry nuclear warhead. They are inducted into the elite Strategic Forces
Command (SFC).
iii. User trials are being conducted before it is handed over to the SFC. The missile can bring targets
across China including cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong under its range.
iv.Agni-V was successfully test-fired off the coast of Odisha recently. Very few countries like US, China,
Russia, France and North Korea have intercontinental ballistic missiles.
v.At present India has Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with a 2,000-km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4
with 2,500 km to more than 3,500-km range.
vi. Indian government is also working on integrating the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile on 40
Sukhoi combat aircraft.
vii. The air-launched variant of the Brahmos is the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile.
viii. It was successfully test fired from a Sukhoi-30 combat jet on 22nd November 2017.
ix. The fleet of 40 Sukhoi jet is going through structural modifications at the Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd (HAL).
India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic missile

On 16th July 2018, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from an
Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha.
i. This test was done under extreme weather conditions like high speed wind against the missile
system and various other extreme conditions.
ii. The success of the test increased the life of the missile by 2 to 5 years.
iii. Range of the missile: up to 290km with supersonic speed.
iv. Cruising speed: up to Mach 3.0 that is 3 times the speed of sound.
v. Brahmos is a supersonic missile. It has been produced together by India and Russia. It was named
Brahmos after the rivers Brahmaputra of India and Moskva of Russia.
vi. BrahMos is a joint venture of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India
and NPOM of Russia.
vii. BrahMos has been operationalised in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.
viii. BRAHMOS is an important force multiplier in battlefields. It has great land-attack, anti-ship
capabilities with multi-role and multi-platform abilities.
‘UP Defence Aerospace Unit and Employment Generating Policy, 2018’: new defence
manufacturing policy announced by UP Government
On July 3,2018, The UP Government announced a new Defence Manufacturing policy named ‘UP
Defence Aerospace Unit and Employment Generating Policy, 2018’.
i. Under this policy, around 3000 hectares of land would be acquired by nodal agency UPIEDA and
entrepreneurs will be given land under plug and play formula investment of Rs 50,000 crore in
the next five years.
ii. This would generate 2.5 lakh jobs.Six districts — Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Kanpur and
Lucknow – will be notified for the Defence manufacturing hub, though the focus will be
on Bundelkhand region.
iii. International consultants like Pricewater House Cooper has been appointed which will give its
report on Defence manufacturing potential areas in the state.
iv. There will be two categories of investment. (i) mega anchor project worth over Rs 1000
crore which will include companies willing to build aircraft, tanks, choppers and (ii) anchor units
138 | P a g e
which could invest Rs 200 crore in Bundelkhand and Poorwanchal areas, Rs 300
crore in Madhayanchal and Rs 400 crore in western UP.
v. The government would provide 25 per cent subsidy on circle rate of land purchased by investors
while transport subsidy of 50 per cent or Rs 2 crore per year would be given for importing
equipment.
vi. The Government would provide subsidy on technology transfer, setting up of effluent treatment
plant, setting up labs for quality control and patenting.
vii. It will provide 100 per cent subsidy on quality certification and trade mark, 100 per cent subsidy
for stamp duty in Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal, 75 per cent in other areas while in Gautam Buddha
Nagar (Noida) and Ghaziabad, it will be 50 per cent.
viii. The government approved a proposal to get bank loan to the tune of Rs 12,000
crore from PNB for construction of Purvanchal Expressway.
ix. In the first phase Rs 7800 crore would be given by banks at the rate of 8.30 per cent interest
for 15 years.
x. The loan would be repaid in 48 instalments with 3 years moratorium and installments would be
paid through funds collected from toll on the Expressway.
xi. It also gave its nod for construction of civil airports at Aligarh, Azamgarh, Moradabad and Shravasti
under Regional Air Connectivity policy.The government also approved asset settlement of UP Mining
Development Corporation.
In a first, Indian Naval aircraft (IN P8I) deployed for RIMPAC exercise
Indian Navy’s P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft from Indian Naval Ship (INS) Rajali has
inducted at Hawaii to take part in the Rim of Pacific Multinational Naval exercise (RIMPAC-18) for the
first time.
i. This is the first time, an Indian Naval aircraft has entered so far east into the Pacific. Also, it has
become the first Indian Naval aircraft to cross the International Date Line, undertaking the longest
ferry of around 3300 nm from Guam to Hawaii.
ii. It is also the first Indian Naval aircraft to participate in RIMPAC. 26 nations are taking part in
RIMPAC 18.
iii. Tactical exercises like Anti-Submarine Warfare and Maritime Reconnaissance missions will be
conducted in RIMPAC 18.
iv. This will help in improving the interoperability skills of the Indian Navy. During the exercise, IN
P8I will operate from Joint Airbase Hickam, Honolulu in Hawaii.
About Rim of Pacific Multinational Naval exercise (RIMPAC):
♦ World’s largest international maritime warfare exercise
♦ Frequency – biennial
♦ Hosted by – United States
Indian naval ship INS Sumitra becomes first-ever warship to enter port of Sabang in Indonesia
On 11th July 2018, Indian naval ship INS Sumitra became the first-ever warship to enter port of Sabang
in Indonesia.
i. INS Sumitra was received by traditional dancers and Indonesian traditional band. It was welcomed
by Indian Ambassador to Indonesia PK Rawat, Indonesian foreign affairs officials, Indian embassy
officials, Indian businessmen and Indonesian naval and air force officers.
ii. INS Sumitra was deployed in Malacca Straits. In May 2018, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit to Jakarta, he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and it was decided that New
Delhi will develop the Indonesian port Sabang in the Indian Ocean.
iii. This port is strategically important and it is close to the Andamans. Already, India is building up
the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a tri-service command to watch over the eastern Indian Ocean,
mainly the Malacca Strait.
iv. The Malacca Strait is the main international shipping route through which merchant and military
vessels transit between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
139 | P a g e
v. Getting access to Sabang Port will enable the navy to dominate Malacca effectively. The Indian and
Indonesian armies train together in the Garuda Shakti exercises.
vi. From 24th May to 9th June 2018, a navy corvette, INS Kulish, and a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft
of the Andaman & Nicobar Command conducted the annual “India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol”.
INS Tarangini participates in Tall Ship Races – 2018 during its Lokayan-18 voyage
On July 13, 2018, INS Tarangini arrived at her seventh port, Sunderland in the UK, during
her #Lokayan-18 voyage and also to participate in the prestigious ‘tall ship races – 2018’.
i. Lokayan is a combination of two Sanskrit words: ‘Lokya’ meaning worldwide and ‘Yana’ meaning
travel, thus literally meaning, ‘travel around the world’.
ii. INS Tarangini commenced ‘Lokayan-18’ on 10 Apr 18 from Kochi, India and is set to cover a
distance of over 20,000 nautical miles, with a crew of 9 officers, 30 officer sea trainees and 43 sailors.
iii. The voyage will take seven months and Tarangini will have the honour of displaying the Indian flag
at 15 ports across 13 countries.
iv. The name ‘Tarangini’ is derived from the Hindi word ‘Tarang’ meaning waves; thus, Tarangini
means ‘the one that rides the waves’.
v. INS Tarangini is the first ship of the #Indian Navy to have circumnavigated the globe in the
year 2003-04 and has participated in tall ship races conducted around the world in 2007, 2011 and
2015.
vi. The ship is part of the first Training Squadron based at Kochi, under the Southern Naval Command
of the Indian Navy.
vii. INS Tarangini is a three masted ‘barque,’ commissioned in 1997 as a sail training ship for the
Indian Navy
About Tall ships race:
i. ‘Sail Training International’ organizes tall ship races and regattas
ii. To promote international friendship and understanding among young sailors.
India and Pakistan to be part of an anti-terror drill in Russia organized by SCO from August
On July 15, 2018, Militaries of India and Pakistan will be part of a mega anti-terror drill in Russia in
August which is being organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
It will be for the first time since Independence that India and Pakistan will both be part of a military
exercise.With an Objective to expand cooperation among the member countries to deal with terrorism
and extremism.
i. The name of the drill is : “Peace Mission”.The exercise is scheduled from August 20-29 at
Chelyabinsk city in west-central Russia.
ii. From India 200 Army and Air Force personnel will participate.Other SCO member countries joining
the exercise are: Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
About SCO:
♦ India and Pakistan has joined the organization as full time members from 2017.
♦ Number of Member Countries are: 8
♦ Headquarter: Beijing, China
♦ Founded: 26th April 1996.
♦ Secretary General: Rashid Alimov.
4th Maritime Affairs Dialogue between India and Japan held in New Delhi
On July 20, 2018, The Ministry of External Affairs announced the fourth round of Maritime Affairs
Dialogue between India and Japan that was held in New Delhi.Pankaj Sharma, Joint
Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) in the MEA.Ambassador Kansuke
Nagaoka, Policy Planning and International Security Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.With
an Objective to discuss key issues related to the Indo-Pacific region and maritime security.
i. Key issues were : maritime security, cooperation in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR), Search and Rescue (SAR).
140 | P a g e
ii. Also means of further strengthening the bilateral cooperation in the above areas were discussed.
iii. Apart from the Dialogue , the seventh round of the India-Japan Bilateral Consultations were held.
iv. The Indian delegation was led by Pankaj Sharma,Joint Secretary(Disarmament and International
Security Affairs) in the MEA.
v. The Japanese side was led by Tomoyuki Yoshida, Director-General, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation
and Science Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
vi. The key areas discussed were: Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control.
Exercise Pitch Black 2018 (PB-18) to be held in Australia from 24 Jul 18 to 18 Aug 18; Indian
Air Force to participate for the first time
On July 18, 2018, The Ministry of Defence announced that the Indian Air Force for the first time is
participating with fighter aircraft in Exercise Pitch Black 2018 (PB-18), which is to be held in Australia
from 24 Jul to 18 Aug, 2018.
The mega exercise will involve over 100 aircraft from around the globe.
i.With an objective to undertake simulated air combat exercises in a controlled environment and
mutual exchange of best practices and enhancing IAF capability.
ii. The IAF contingent consists of 145 air-warriors including Garud team, 04 X Su-30 MKI, 01 X C-130
and 01 X C-17.
iii. It would be led by Group Captain CUV Rao VM .The contingent will assemble at Air Force Station
Kalaikunda and depart for the exercise on 19 Jul 18 from India to Australia via Indonesia.
iv. During the flight from India to Australia and back, Su-30 MKI will carry out air to air refueling with
IL-78 tankers.
v. And on its return leg from Darwin to Subang, Su-30 MKI will be refueled in air for the first time by
RAAF KC-30A.
vi. During the transit to Australia, IAF contingent will also have constructive engagement with
Indonesian and Malaysian Air Forces.
2 day Air Defence India – 2018 Seminar & Exhibition, organised by Centre for Joint Warfare
Studies (CENJOWS) inaugurated by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre
On July 27, 2018, Minister of State for Defence , Dr. Subhash Bhamre inaugurated a two-day Air
Defence India – 2018 Seminar & Exhibition in New Delhi.
i. It was organised by Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) .
ii. Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and Director General Army Air Defence Lt Gen AP Singh
were present at the function.
About Air Defence Corps:
♦ The Corps of Army Air Defence (abbreviated as AAD), is an active corps of the Indian Army.
♦ It is responsible for the protection of Indian air space from enemy aircraft and missiles, especially
below 5,000 feet.
2 day Bilateral exercise on pollution conducted by India and B’desh Coast Guards
On July 27, 2018, The Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard conducted a 2 day bilateral
table-top exercise on maritime pollution in Kolkata that was held from July 26-27, 2018 in Kolkata.
i. This exercise was conducted in the backdrop of the MoU signed between India and South Asian
Cooperation for Environment Protection (SACEP).
ii. Indian side was led by : ICG (NE) commander Inspector General K S Sheoran .Bangladesh side was
led by : Captain M Ehsanullah Khan, Commanding officer, BCGS.
iii. Both sides discussed on maritime issues and capacity building of Bangladesh Coast Guard through
training and expertise sharing.
141 | P a g e
2 ‘Made in India’ engines handed to Army Vice Chief Devaraj Anbu by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman
On July 29, 2018, Defence Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman handed over two types of indigenously built
high-power multi-fuel engines to the Vice Chief of Army Staff Devaraj Anbu.
i. The engines were manufactured by the Engine Factory, Avadi, a unit of Ordnance Factory
Board, Department of Defence Production. It was made with 100% local parts.
ii. The efforts under Make in India by the Engine Factory would save Rs 80 crore of the exchequer
every year.
iii. The first engine is of 1000 HP named V92S2 engine and it powers T-90 Bhisma Tank.
iv. The second engine is V-46-6 engine and it powers the T-72 Ajeya Tank and its variants.
v. These were based on the Russian design of critical assemblies like turbocharger, supercharger, fuel
injection pumps.
NASAMS-II: India plans to procure advanced air defence system from US worth $1 billion to
defend NCR of Delhi.
On July 31, 2018, Defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by India’s Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, approved the acquisition of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II
(NASAMS-II) worth around $1 billion.With an Objective to defend National Capital Region (NCR) from
aerial attacks.
i. This is a US-built advanced air defence system.
ii. It is an upgraded version of the NASAMS and features new 3D mobile surveillance radars and 12
missile launchers for quicker reaction.
iii. It has been developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and Aerospace of
Norway.
iv. It has 3D Sentinel radars, short and medium-range missiles, launchers, fire-distribution centers
and command-and-control units to quickly detect, track and shoot down multiple airborne threats.
v. India is in talks with Russia to procure long range S-400 Triumf air defence systems for INR 400
billion.
vi. $2 billion procurement of 24 MH-60 ‘Romeo’ helicopters from US will be revived after the
inaugural “two-plus-two” dialogue between the two countries.
vii. India will induct the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile system — Agni V.
viii. DRDO is developing two tier Phase-I of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD).
ENVIRONMENT
NBWL adds 4 species in Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has approved to include 4 species: Northern River Terrapin
(riverine turtle), Red Panda, Clouded Leopard and Arabian Sea Humpback Whale in the recovery
programme for critically endangered species.
i. This will enable targeted conservation of these species whose population is reducing.
ii. They are under the critically endangered to vulnerable categories according to the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
iii. The species recovery programme of the Union Environment Ministry is executed under Integrated
Development of Wildlife Habitats.
iv. Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats is a centrally sponsored umbrella scheme for
management and conservation of parks, wildlife habitats and conservation.
v. Terrapins are exploited for illegal trade across borders, mainly for its meat and carapace.
vi. Clouded leopard and Red Panda are affected by habitat loss and poaching for their meat, medicine
and pelts.
vii. The Northern River Terrapin is mainly found in West Bengal. The clouded leopard is found in
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Assam.
142 | P a g e
viii. The Red Panda is seen in Sikkim, western Arunachal Pradesh, North Bengal and parts of
Meghalaya.
ix. The Arabian Sea Humpback Whale is affected by accidental entanglement in fishing gears, ship
strikes and seismic explorations.
x. They migrate towards India’s west coast from Oman. In October 2017, India had supported a
resolution to take action for conservation of this whale species at the 12th convention on migratory
species held in Manila.
xi. It is also a party to the International Whaling commission aimed to protect whales and its habitats
in Indian waters.
Rising sea levels could cost world $14 trillion annually by 2100
Scientists have warned that, rising sea levels would cost $14 trillion worldwide annually by 2100.
i. Scientists have warned that failing to limit global warming to 2 degree Celsius will lead to global
economic consequences.
ii. Researchers from UK National Oceanographic Centre (NOC) also stated that upper-middle income
countries like China will witness the largest increase in flood costs.
iii. The highest income countries will suffer the least due to existing high levels of protection
infrastructure.
iv. Over 600 million people live in low-elevation coastal areas, less than 10 metres above sea level.
v. In warm climate, global sea level will increase due to melting of land-based glaciers and ice sheets,
and from the thermal expansion of ocean waters.
vi. Sea level rise is one of the most damaging aspects of warming climate. A study regarding this has
been published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
vii. Sea level projections prevail for emissions and socio-economic scenarios. There are no scenarios
covering limiting warming below the 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 degree Celsius targets in the 21st
century and beyond.
viii. The researchers studied the consequences of global and regional sea level rise with restricted
warming of 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.
ix.They compared them to sea level projections with uncontrolled warming following emissions
scenario Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5.
x. Using World Bank income groups (high, upper middle, lower middle and low income countries),
they studied the impact of sea level rise in coastal areas from a global view.
Seven new wasp species discovered in the Amazon forests

Researchers have discovered 7 new wasp species of the genus Clistopyga from Peru, Venezuela and
Colombia in the Amazon forests.
i. A report regarding this has been published in Zootaxa. The report includes their morphology like
colouration, wing size and other features.
ii. The new wasp species are:
 Clistopyga crassicaudata
 Clistopyga kalima
 Clistopyga panchei
 Clistopyga taironae
 Clistopyga nigriventri
 Clistopyga splendida
 Clistopyga isayae
iii. Clistopyga crassicaudata has been named after its distinctly thick ovipositor. The ovipositor is a
tube-like organ that helps to lay eggs and also to inject venom.
iv. Researchers have said that, these new species could be parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs near a
host. Then the larvae feeds on it and eventually kills.
v. The female wasps inject their venom into spiders, paralyse them, and lay their eggs on them. The
larvae feed on the paralysed spiders and their eggs.
143 | P a g e
vi. Clistopyga kalima, Clistopyga panchei and Clistopyga taironae have been named to honour the
Kalimas, Panches and Toiranas, who are indigenous tribe groups of Colombo.
vii. Clistopyga nigriventri indicates its entirely black body. Clistopyga splendida has been given this
name due to its multicoloured body.
viii. Clistopyga isayae has a white and brown body. It has been named in honour of the wife of
Francisco Díaz, one of the authors of the paper.
World’s oldest colours discovered by scientists from The Australian National University in
Sahara desert in Africa
On July 10, 2018, Scientists have discovered the oldest colors in the geological record, 1.1-billion-year-
old bright pink pigments extracted from rocks deep beneath the Sahara desert in Africa.
i. This was done by the team from The Australian National University (ANU).
The fossils range from blood red to deep purple in their concentrated form, and bright pink when
diluted.
ii. The bright pink pigments are the molecular fossils of chlorophyll that were produced by ancient
photosynthetic organisms inhabiting an ancient ocean that has long since vanished.
iii. The researchers crushed the billion-year-old rocks to powder before extracting and analysing
molecules of ancient organisms from them.
iv. The research has published in the journal- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Goa University has discovered a pigment in wild edible mushroom that may help fight cancer
On July 11, 2018, The Mycological Laboratory of Goa university announced the discovery of a new
pigment from local wild mushrooms that may help fight cancer. The pigment has been declared
as world’s first sulphur-rich edible melanin.
i. It is a new suphur-rich melanin biopigment of immense bioindustrial, biomedical (anti-cancer, anti-
tumour) and biotechnological potential.
ii. It has been found in Roen alamis (wild variety of Goan mushrooms that grows on termite hills)
or Termitomyces species.
iii. Its structure is similar to black pigment found in human hair.This discovery has been done by Rosy
de Souza, who is a national scholar under DST INSPIRE under three years under Dr. Nandakumar
Kamat, Assistant Professor of Botany, department of Goa University.
iv. The study published on July 9 in Mycology: International Journal Of Fungal Biology affiliated to
Mycological Society of China, and published by Taylor and Francis, U.S.
Nilgiri tahr threatened by Climate change: Ecological Engineering

On July 11, 2018, international journal Ecological Engineering published that climate change is
threatening the Nilgiri tahr.
i. According to the study, 60% of the population of the goat could be lost from 2030.
ii. The population in Chinnar, Eravikulam and Parambikulam is still strong enough to withstand the
climate change but those of Tamil Nadu’s Kalakkad tiger reserve and wildlife sanctuaries if Peppara,
Neyyar etc could experience habitat loss.
iii. The study puts emphasis on conservation measure and management for the habitat.
About Nilgiri Tahrs:
♦ They are the state animal of Tamil Nadu .
♦ As of now, only around 2,500 Nilgiri Tahrs are left in the wild.
♦ They are found only in the high altitudes of Western ghats.
Largest dinosaur foot to date discovered; belongs to a Brachiosaur

On 24th July 2018, scientists said that, they have discovered the largest dinosaur foot ever, which has a
width of around 1 metre. It belongs to a Brachiosaur.
i. Brachiosaur is among the biggest land animals on Earth. A study regarding this has been published
in the journal PeerJ.
144 | P a g e
ii. It is based on fossils excavated in Wyoming, US. It states that, 150 million years ago brachiosaurs
had inhabited North America.
iii. The foot was excavated in 1998. After examination, researchers identified that, the foot belongs to
a Brachiosaur.
iv. Brachiosaur is a long-necked and long-tailed sauropod. This is the largest dinosaur foot discovered
till now.
v. The study also says that, brachiosaurs inhabited a large area from eastern Utah to northwestern
Wyoming.
Blood Moon 2018 or Total Lunar Eclipse: the longest 2 day Lunar Eclipse of the 21st century on
July 27 -28,2018
On July 27 -28, 2018, a rare celestial event of the longest lunar eclipse to date called the ‘Blood Moon’
was seen.
i. It would last for 1 hour and 42 minutes and 57 seconds.It is considered as the 21st century’s longest
lunar eclipse.
ii. The longest total lunar eclipse of the last century happened on 16 July 2000, lasting nearly four
minutes longer, at 1 hour and 46.4 minutes.The next such phenomenon can be witnessed on June 9,
2123 according to a National Geographic report.
SPORTS
The 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships (NISSAC)
The 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships (NISSAC)
was held at the Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati, Assam from June 26 to June 29.It had 52 events
for men and women.
Dutee Chand, Hima Das Shine in National Inter State Athletics Meet
 On June 29,2018, on the final day of the 58th National Inter State Senior Athletics
Championships Dutee Chand and Hima Das made records.
 They clinched their spots in Asian Games bettering the qualifying marks set by the Athletics
Federation of India.
About Dutee Chand:
 Dutee Chand broke her 100m national record to become the fastest woman of the meet.
 Dutee qualified in 100m and 200m in Asian Games.
 The 22-year-old Dutee Chand, representing Odisha, ran 11.29 second in the semifinal race from
her national record of 11.30 and later clinched the gold in 11.32 in the final to establish herself
as a gold medal contender in the upcoming Asian Games.
 The qualifying time in the event is 11.67 seconds.
 The gold medal winners in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games had clocked 11.33 and 11.48
respectively.
 Chand wishes to clock 11.20 in the Asian Games to be held in Jakarta
About Hima Das:
 Hima Das clinched her second gold by posting a personal best in the 400m.
 She clocked her personal best of 51.13 better from 51.32 (clocked by her earlier) to take the
gold, her second yellow metal after the one in 200m.
 She is number two in the Asian rankings in women’s 400m.
Jinson Johnson, representing Kerala, has broken the legendary Sriram Singh’s four-decade-old
800m National record
 On June 29,2018, Kerala athlete Jinson Johnson had broken the legendary Sriram Singh’s 42-
year-old 800m record.
 He won men’s 1500m and clinched his second gold of the meet .
145 | P a g e
 He missed the Asian Games qualification time in this event as he clocked 3:45.12 while the
qualifying time is 3:45.00.
Sudha Singh dominates 3000m steeplechase.Her winning time of 9:39.59 secswas better than
the Asian Games qualifying norm of 9:50 secs.
 On June 29,2018, Olympian Sudha Singh who hails from Uttar Pradesh won gold in the
women’s 3,000m steeplechase during the 58th National Inter State Senior Athletics
Championship at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
 Her winning time of 9:39.59 secs was better than the Asian Games qualifying norm of 9:50
secs.
 She is among the six athletes who made the cut for the Asian Games.
India wins six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai title in Dubai

On 30th June 2018, India won the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai title in Dubai.
i. India defeated Iran 44-26 in the finals and became champions of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters
Dubai.
ii. Indian team was led by captain Ajay Thakur. The six-nation invitational tournament was organised
by International Kabaddi Federation along with Star Sports and Dubai Sports Council.
About International Kabaddi Federation:
♦ President – Janardan Singh Gehlot
♦ Purpose – international governing body of Kabaddi
Max Verstappen wins Austrian Grand Prix in Austria

On 1st July 2018, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix in Austria.
i. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished in the second spot. Following him Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel
finished in the third spot.
ii. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton retired from the race due to a mechanical issue in his car. Mecredes’
Valtteri Bottas also retired from the race due to mechanical issues with his Mercedes car.
2018 Malaysia Open (badminton)

From 26th June to 1st July 2018, the 2018 Malaysia Open, officially named the CELCOM AXIATA
Malaysia Open was held at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Total Prize money of the
tournament was $700,000.
 Men’s Singles – Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
 Women’s Singles – Tai Tzu-ying (Chinese Taipei)
 Men’s Doubles – Takeshi Kamura, Keigo Sonoda (Japan)
 Women’s Doubles – Misaki Matsutomo, Ayaka Takahashi (Japan)
 Mixed Doubles – Zheng Siwei, Huang Yaqiong (China)
i. P V Sindhu lost 15-21 21-19 11-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying in the women’s singles
semifinals.
ii. Kidambi Srikanth lost 13-21 13-21 to Japanese Kento Momota in the men’s singles semifinals.
Australia wins Champions Trophy 2018 (hockey)

On 1st July 2018, Australia won the Champions Trophy hockey 2018 in Breda, the Netherlands.
i. In the finals, India lost 1-3 to Australia in shootout in the finals of Champions Trophy hockey.
ii. Australia won their 15th gold medal at Champions Trophy. India won their second silver medal. In
the 2016 edition also, India had lost to Australia and settled for silver medal.
About Hockey India:
♦ President – Rajinder Singh
♦ Formed – 2009
ICC introduces stricter sanctions for ball-tampering

International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced stricter sanctions for ball-tampering.
146 | P a g e
i. The new regulations were introduced at its annual conference held in Dublin, Ireland. Ball-
tampering has been upgraded from a level 2 to a level 3 offence.
ii. Tampering with the ball will be now penalized with a ban of up to 6 Tests or 12 ODIs.
iii. ICC also added obscenity and personal abuse to the list of offences to bring better behaviour on the
field.
iv. Also, even the concerned member board could be held responsible for its players’ behaviour.
Shot putter Inderjeet Singh gets 4-year ban for dope violation
On 4th July 2018, the anti-doping disciplinary panel of NADA gave a 4 year suspension to shot
putter Inderjeet Singh for testing positive for anabolic steroids in a dope test before the 2016 Rio
Olympic Games.
i. Inderjeet Singh was one of the first athletes to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
ii. But he was provisionally suspended on 26th July 2016 after he tested positive for banned
substances: androsterone and etiocholanolone.
iii. The panel said that he has violated article 2.1 of anti-doping code. However the panel said that,
NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) and NDTL (National Dope Testing Laboratory) did not follow
well known and established procedures while collecting the sample.
Rani Rampal to lead Indian women’s hockey team in Asian Games

Rani Rampal will lead the Indian women’s hockey team at the Asian Games that will be held in
Indonesia from 18th August to 2nd September 2018.
i. The teams consists of 18 members. Goalkeeper Savita has been named the vice captain. Rajani
Etimarpu has been made the reserve goalkeeper.
ii. Indian women’s hockey team for Asian Games:
 Goalkeepers: Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu
 Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Deepika, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar
 Midfielders: Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz, Monika, Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal
 Forwards: Rani Rampal (Captain), Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur.
Bajrang Punia claims gold at Tbilisi Grand Prix, Deepak wins bronze
On 5th July 2018, Bajrang Punia won gold medal in the 65kg category at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in
Georgia.
i. Bajrang Punia defeated Iranian wrestler Mehran Nasiri in the finals and won gold medal in the 65kg
category.
ii. Bajrang Punia recorded a 9-3 win over Mehran Nasiri. Bajrang Punia will represent India in the
65kg after Wrestling Federation of India exempted him from trials.
iii. In the 86kg category, Deepak Punia won a bronze medal with 5-3 win over Osman Gosen of
Turkey.
iv. India’s Sushil Kumar faced his first defeat in over 4 years and moved out of 74kg category.
Shardul Thakur to replace Jasprit Bumrah in India’s ODI squad

Shardul Thakur will replace Jasprit Bumrah in India’s One-Day International squad for the upcoming
ODI series against England.
i. He is a fast bowler. This decision was made by All-India Senior Selection Committee after Jasprit
Bumrah injured his left thumb during the first Twenty-20 International match against Ireland in
Dublin.
ii. He was moved out of the ongoing T20I series against England. He has undergone surgery. The ODI
series will start on 12th July 2018 in Nottingham.
iii. India’s squad for ODIs against England consists of:
Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni
(wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,
147 | P a g e
Shardul Thakur, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav.
Law Commission recommends regulated and taxable gambling, betting on sports

On 5th July 2018, The Law Commission recommended that gambling and betting on sports, including
cricket, to be allowed as regulated activities taxable under the direct and indirect tax regimes and
used as a source for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
i. The commission’s report, Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in
India has recommended various changes in the law for regulating betting and generating tax revenues
from it.
ii. The Parliament might also enact a model law for regulating gambling that would be adopted by the
states or Parliament might legislate in exercise of its powers under Articles 249 or 252 of the
Constitution.
iii. If legislation is made under Article 252, states other than the consenting states can freely adopt the
same.
iv. The commission has also recommended linking Aadhar or PAN card of an individual indulging in
betting and gambling. This would make the transaction cashless and regulate illegal activities like
money laundering.
v. The commission has also recommended amending the laws regulating forex and India’s FDI policy
to allow investments in the casino and online gaming industry.
About Twenty-First Law Commission:
♦ Tenure – 1st September 2015 – 31st August 2018
♦ Chairman – Dr. Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan
Mahendra Singh Dhoni reaches coveted milestone of playing 500 international matches
On 7th July 2018, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni reached the milestone of playing 500 international
matches during the second T20 International against England.
i. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the 3rd Indian after Sachin Tendulkar (664) and Rahul Dravid
(509) to reach this milestone of playing 500 international cricket matches.
ii. This T20 International match against England was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 92nd T20 match. He has
played 90 Test matches and 318 One Day International matches.
Dipa wins gold in Gymnastics World Cup

On July 8 2018,Indian Gymnast Dipa Karmakar bagged gold medal in FIG Atistic Gymnastics World
Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey.
i. Rifda Irfanaluthfi of Indonesia clinched the silver and Goksu Uctas Sanli took the bronze.
ii. Dipa had finished fourth in vault event in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
T20 rankings: India move up to second place, Rahul rises to career-high third spot
Indian batsman Lokesh Rahul has improved 9 places and reached a career-high 3rd position in the
latest ICC T20 rankings.
i. His team has obtained 2nd spot in the team standings after the series win against England.
ii. Lokesh Rahul has become India’s highest-ranked batsman. He is followed by Rohit Sharma in
11th rank who has improved by 2 positions and Virat Kohli in 12th rank who has moved down by 4
places.
iii. Australia’s Aaron Finch has become the first player in the history of T20 Internationals to
break the 900-point mark.
iv. He has improved 3 places to finish the tri-series in Harare against Pakistan and Zimbabwe as the
top-ranked batsman in T20 format.
v. In the bowling side, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Pakistan’s Shadab Khan have retained the top 2
positions.
vi. Australia’s Andrew Tye has improved 41 places and reached 7th place. England’s Adil Rashid has
secured 9th position, England’s Liam Plunkett has reached 11th spot, and England’s David Willey has
148 | P a g e
secured 15th position.

vii. Australia’s Billy Stanlake has secured 19th spot. Pakistan has retained the top position in team
rankings.
Asian Games 2018: Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to lead Indian hockey team

On July 10, 2018, Hockey India announced that Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh will lead the 18-member
Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the 18th Asian Games, slated to be held in Jakarta and Palembang from
August 18,2018.
i. Midfielder Chinglensana Singh Kangujam has been named the Vice Captain.
ii.Other midfielders : Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad .
iii. India’s forward line will see Akashdeep Singh, S.V. Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
and Dilpreet Singh.
iv. The teams defence line will have : Rupinder Pal Singh , Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Amit
Rohidas , Surender Kumar and Birendra Lakra.
v. Ramandeep Singh will be out of the game due to knee surgery.
In 2014, India clinched the title against Pakistan in Incheon, Korea.
Asian Games :
♦ The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years
among athletes from all over Asia.
♦ Regulator: Asian Games Federation (AGF).
♦ 2022: Hangzhou, China.
♦ 2026: Nagoya, Japan.
India’s Jhilli Dalabehera bags bronze in 2018 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships at
Tashkent
On 7th July 2018, Indian lifter Jhilli Dalabehera has bagged the bronze medal in the 2018 IWF Junior
World Weightlifting Championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
i. Jhilli Dalabehera lifted 167 kg in the 48 kg category and won the bronze medal.
ii. Jhilli Dalabehera has become the second woman lifter after Saikhom Mirabai Chanu in 2013 to win
a medal in the Junior World Championships.
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram finishes runner-up at White Nights International Challenge
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram finished runners-up at the White Nights International
Challenge in Gatchina, Russia.
i. Ajay Jayaram lost to Pablo Abian of Spain in the finals and finished runner-up.
ii. Men’s doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Saurabh Sharma lost 21-18, 13-21, 17-21 to German pair of
Bjarne Geiss and Jan Colin Völker in the semi-finals.
Anju Khosla – Oldest Indian woman to complete Ironman Triathlon

Anju Khosla has become the oldest Indian woman to complete an Ironman Triathlon which is one of
the toughest one-day sporting events.
i. Anju Khosla is 52 years old. She is a resident of New Delhi. She completed her first full Ironman
Triathlon, in Carinthia, Austria, in 15 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds.
ii. It consists of 3.86 km swimming leg, 180.25 km bike leg followed by a marathon (42.2 km), to be
completed without a break.
iii. In Austria, out of the 2,761 competitors, Anju Khosla crossed the finish line 38th out of 41 in her
age category (W50). In the women category, she was 319th out of 336 athletes and overall 2,257th.
Entire Men’s Hockey team included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
On 11th July 2018, the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Ministry approved a monthly
allowance of Rs 50,000 for each of the 18 members of the men’s hockey team under the Target
Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
149 | P a g e
i. The monthly allowance under TOPS was started by Sports Ministry in 2017. But the men’s hockey
team has received the pocket allowance for the first time.
ii. The decision to include men’s hockey team was taken after India’s improved performance under
the new coach Harendra Singh. The men’s hockey team finished runners up in the Champions Trophy
in the Netherlands.
iii. The women’s hockey team would be included in the TOPS after reviewing its performance in the
upcoming World Cup and the Asian Games.
iv. Also, double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar has been sanctioned 6.62 lakh rupees for hiring two
sparring partners and a physiotherapist during his current training in Georgia.
v. Bajrang Punia and Sumit have also been sanctioned 3.22 lakh rupees for training and tournament
participation in Turkey.
vi. Boxer Sarajubala Devi received an extension under TOPS scheme following her qualification for th
e Asian Games.
vii. Also, gymnastics received a total grant of Rs 21.76 lakh including Rs. 7.76 lakh for the month-long
training program of Pranati Nayak in Uzbekistan.
viii. Rs 14 lakh was sanctioned for Ashish Kumar and Aruna Budda Reddy for the 32-day program
including a training camp in Belgium.
ix. Davis Cup winner Ramkumar Ramanathan will receive Rs 12.57 lakh for his training under coach
Angel Gimenez Alonso, competition and equipment expenses for the Asian Games.
x. Rs 11.48 lakh has been allotted for the purchase of archery equipment for compound archers Trisha
Deb, Rajat Chauhan and Jyothi Surekha Vennam and recurve archer Promila Daimary.
xi. Rs 4.04 lakh has been sanctioned for the engagement of Italian coach Sergio Pagni to train India’s
compound archers for 10 days at the SAI Sonepat centre prior to the Asian Games.
xii. The compound archers who will be trained are Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan, Trisha Deb and
Jyothi Surekha Vennam.
xiii.Judokas Avtar Singh and Vijay Kumar Yadav will receive Rs 3.55 lakh for their training,
competition and equipment expenses prior to the Asian Games.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni becomes 4th Indian batsman to score 10,000 runs in ODIs
On 14th July 2018, Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the fourth Indian to achieve the mark of 10,000
runs in ODIs, during the second match of the three-game series against England, at Lord’s cricket
ground in London.
i. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 37 year old. He is a former India cricket captain.
ii. He has reached the milestone of scoring 10,000 runs in ODIs after three other Indian batsmen:
Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
iii. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now placed 12th in the list of all-time highest run-scorers in ODIs.
iv. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is the only wicketkeeper-batsman who has found a place in the list
with 14,234 runs. He is the second highest run scorer in ODIs behind Sachin Tendulkar.
v. Mahendra Singh Dhoni also became the fourth wicket-keeper to complete 300 ODI catches after
Adam Gilchrist (417), Mark Boucher (403) and Kumar Sangakkara (402).
Golden Glove of Vojvodina Youth Men & Women Boxing Tournament at Vojvodina, Serbia
From 9th to 16th July 2018, the 36th Golden Glove of Vojvodina Youth Men & Women Boxing
Tournament, was held in Vojvodina, Serbia.This is the 36th edition for Youth Men and 7th edition for
Youth Women. 17 countries took part in the tournament.
i. India won a total of 17 medals with 7 gold medals, 6 silver medals and 4 bronze medals and
obtained the first position at the 36th Golden Glove of Vojvodina youth tournament.
ii. Russia secured 11 medals with 3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals but secured third position
following Kazakhstan in second position which had 5 gold medals and an overall count of 7 medals.
Indian medal winners:
Name Weight Medal
Aman +91kg Gold
150 | P a g e
Akash Kumar 56kg Gold

S Barun Singh 49kg Gold
Vijaydeep 69kg Gold
Nitu 48kg Gold
Divya Pawar 54kg Gold
Lalita 69kg Gold
Jyoti Gulia 51kg Silver
Manisha 64kg Silver
Neha Yadav +81kg Silver
Ankit 60kg Silver
Akash 64kg Silver
Nitin Kumar 75kg Silver
Saskhi 51kg Bronze
Sakshi Gaidhani 81kg Bronze
Bhavesh 52kg Bronze
Kittamani
Anamika 51kg Bronze
Serena storms into top 30, jumps 153 points after Wimbeldon :WTA rankings
On July 16, 2018, According to Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), American tennis player Serena
Williams ranked 28th in the list with a jump of 153 places.Her previous rank was 181st . She improved
her rank after the Wimbeldon Championship where she became runner up.
Other players and their ranks :
Player Rank
Simona Halep (Romania) 1
Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 2
Sloane Stephens 3
Angelique Kerber (Germany) 4
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 5
Men’s Rankings (TOP 5):
Player Rank
Rafael Nadal (Spain) 1
Roger Federer (Switzerland) 2
Alexander Zverev (Germany) 3
Juan Martin de Potro (Argentina) 4
Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 5
FIFA World Cup 2018

FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament, is contested by the men’s national teams of the
member associations of FIFA once every four years. FIFA 2018 was the 21st edition of the tournament.
This was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe.
Logo:
The Official Emblem was designed by Brandia Central, a brand consulting agency based in Lisbon,
Portugal.The shape of the Official Emblem of Russia 2018 has an outline of World Cup trophy and has
bold use of red, gold, black and blue representing Russian art and Russian Flag.
Mascot:
Zabivaka – “the one who scores” (in Russian) is a wolf who radiates fun, charm and confidence was
the Official mascot of FIFA World Cup 2018.It has brown and white fur, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned
with the words “RUSSIA 2018” and orange sports goggles.
This was designed by Ekaterina Bocharova.
Venue:
151 | P a g e
It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018 in 12 venues from 11 Russian cities.
There were 32 teams from 5 confederations.Finals took place on 15th July at the Luzhniki Stadium in
Moscow, with France and Croatia competing for the World Cup.
FIFA World Cup-2022 will be hosted by Qatar.
Winners:
Champions: France (2nd title)
Runners-up: Croatia
Third place: Belgium
Fourth place: England
France won the title with a 4-2 goal against Croatia.
This is their second world cup title since 1998.
This result marked the first time that nations from the same continent won four consecutive
tournaments (following Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014).
Awards:
Category Player Country
Golden Ball Luka Modrić Croatia
Silver Ball Eden Hazard Belgium
Bronze Ball Antoine Griezmann France
Golden Boot Harry Kane(6 goals, 0 assists) England
Silver Boot Antoine Griezmann(4 goals, 2 assists) France
Bronze Boot Romelu Lukaku(4 goals, 1 assist) Belgium
Golden Glove Thibaut Courtois Belgium
Best Young Player Kylian Mbappé France
FIFA Fair Play Award Spain
Highlights:
 This was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe and 11th time to have been held
in Europe.
 For the first time, the tournament took place on two continents – Europe and Asia.
 All but two of the stadium venues ,Sochi and Yekaterinburg, were in European Russia.
 At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever.
 It was also the first World Cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.
 Iceland and Panama made their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup.
 64 matches were played.
 169 goals were scored.
Prize Money:
Position Amount (million USD)
Per team Total
Champions 38 38
Runner-up 28 28
Third place 24 24
Fourth place 22 22
5th–8th place (quarter-finals) 16 64
9th–16th place (round of 16) 12 96
17th–32nd place (group stage) 8 128
Total 400
India jump one place to 5th in latest FIH rankings

On 17th July 2018, India has improved one spot and has reached the 5th position in the men’s hockey
world rankings released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
i. India has improved due to its second consecutive runner-up finish at the Champions Trophy in
Breda, Netherlands held in July 2018.
ii. Australia, that had won the Champions Trophy, remained on the top spot.
152 | P a g e
Country Rank Points

Australia 1 1906
Argentina 2 1883
Belgium 3 1709
Netherlands 4 1654
India 5 1484
Germany 6 1456
iii. Most of the teams in the top 20 have not changed positions. However, 18th placed Austria and
19th placed Egypt have improved ahead of France which is now in 20th position.
2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland

From 10th to 15th July 2018, 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships was held in Tampere Stadium also
known as Ratina Stadium, in Tampere, Finland.
2018 IAAF World U20 Championships:
i. 158 countries and 1462 athletes participated in the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships.
ii. Kenya won 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze medal with a total of 11 medals.
iii. Jamaica won 4 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 3 bronze medals with a total medal count of 12.
iv. United States won 3 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 7 bronze medals with a total count of 18
medals.
v. India won a single gold medal that was fetched by Hima Das.
Hima Das won Gold in the women’s 400 metre event:
i. On 12th July 2018, India’s Hima Das bagged gold medal in the women’s 400 metre event at the IAAF
World U20 Championships.
ii. Hima Das has become the first Indian track athlete to win gold medal in a world championship
across all age groups. She registered a time of 51.46 seconds in the finals.
iii. Romania’s Andrea Miklos won silver medal with a personal best time of 52.07 seconds. United
States’ Taylor Manson registered a timing of 52.28 and finish in third position.
iv. Earlier, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had won gold medal in Poland in the 2016 edition with a
world record.
v. In the World Junior Championships Seema Punia had won bronze medal in discus in 2002 and
Navjeet Kaur Dhillon had won bronze medal in discus in 2014.
2018 Wimbledon Championships

The 2018 Wimbledon Championships was the 132nd edition of the championship, the 125th staging
of the Ladies’ Singles Championship event, the 51st in the Open Era and the third Grand
Slam tournament of the year.
Venue:
The Event took place in All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United
Kingdom from 2nd July to 15th July 2018.
Winners:
Event Winner Runners-Up
Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic(Serbia) Kevin Anderson (South Africa)
Women’s Singles Angelique Kerber (Germany) Serena Williams (USA)
Men’s Doubles Mike Bryan (USA) Michael Venus (New Zealand)
Jack Sock (USA) Raven Klaasen(South Africa)
Women’s Doubles Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) Nicole Melichar (USA)
Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) Kveta Peschke(Czech Republic)
Mixed Doubles Alexander Peya (Austria) Victoria Azarenka(Belarus)
Nicole Melichar (USA) Jamie Murray (UK)
Boys’ Singles Tseng Chun-hsin (Chinese Taipei) Jack Draper(UK)
Girls’ Singles Iga Swiatek (Poland) Leonie Kung (Switzerland)
Boys’ Doubles Yanki Erel (Turkey) Nicolas Mejia (Colombia)
153 | P a g e
Otto Virtanen (Finland) Ondrej Styler (Czech Republic)

Girls’ Doubles Wang Xinyu (China) Caty McNally (USA)
Wang Xiyu (China) Whitney Osuigwe (USA)
Gentlemen’s Tommy Haas (Germany) Colin Fleming (UK)
Invitation Doubles Mark Phillippoussis (Australia) Xavier Malisse (Belgium)
Ladies’ Invitation Kim Clijsters (Belgium) Cara Black (Zimbabwe)
Doubles Rennae Stubbs (Australia) Martina Navratilova(USA)
Senior Gentlemen’s Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) Richard Krajicek (Netherlands)
Invitation Doubles Todd Woodbridge (Australia) Mark Petchey (UK)
Wheelchair Men’s Stefan Olsson (Sweden) Gustavo Fernandez (Argenttina)
Singles
Wheelchair Diede de Groot (The Netherlands) Aniek Van Koot (The
Women’s Singles Netherlands)
Wheelchair Men’s Alfie Hewett (UK) Joachim Gerard (Belgium)
Doubles Gordon Reid (UK) Stefan Olsson (Sweden)
Wheelchair Diede de Groot (The Netherlands) Sabine Ellerbrock (Germany)
Women’s Doubles Yui Kamiji (Japan) Lucy Shuker (UK)
Wheelchair Quad Andrew Lapthorne (UK) Dylan Alcott (Australia)
Doubles David Wagner (USA) Lucas Sithole (South Africa)
Highlights:
 Djokovic wins fourth Wimbledon title.
 Djokovic is a Grand Slam champion for the first time since winning the 2016 French Open.
Overall it is his 13th career Grand slam.
 Angelique Kerber became the first German player since Steffi Graf in 1996 to lift the crown at
the All England Club.
 It was her first Wimbledon title two years after she was beaten in the final by Williams.
 Serena Williams jumped 153 spots in the WTA ranking to 28th spot after Wimbledon 2018.
Prize Money:
 The Wimbledon total prize money for 2018 was £34,000,000.
 The prize money has increased by 7.6% on 2017.
 The winners of the men’s and women’s singles titles will earn £2.25m, doubles was £450,000,
mixed doubles £110,000, Wheelchair singles £40,000, wheelchair doubles £14000 and
Invitation doubles £26,000.
2019 Wimbeldon:
♦ Edition: 133rd.
♦ Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.
♦ Surface: Grass.
♦ Date: 1st July 2019-14th July 2019.
India bags 9 medals – 4 Silver and 5 Bronze in 7th World Junior Wushu championships which
was held in Brasilia, Brazil
On July 18, 2018, , India bagged 9 medals – 4 Silver and 5 Bronze in the 7th World Junior Wushu
championships held in Brasilia, Brazil from July 10-16,2018.
i. The Silver Medals won were by:
Player Event
Babulu (42 kg sub-junior) In Sanshou discipline (a Chinese
Saleem ((56 kg sub junior) self-defense system and combat
Savita (48 kg junior) sport )
Rohit (80 kg junior)
ii. The Bronze Medals won were by:
Player Event
154 | P a g e
Himanshu (56 kg junior) In Sanshou discipline (a

Shruti (60 kg junior) Chinese self-defense
Jahnvi (52 kg junior) system and combat
sport )
Karanjit Taijiquan In Taolu or Chinese
Karanjit Taijijian Kungfu,
About World Junior Wushu Championship :
♦ The World Junior Wushu Championships (WJWC) is the official world championship event which is
hosted by the International Wushu Federation. It is held biennially.
♦ The Brazilian Wushu Confederation is responsible for the organization of the 7th WJWC under the
auspices of the IWUF.
Australian football player Tim Cahill retires from Australia duty

On 17th July 2018, Australian football player Tim Cahill retired from international football.
i. Tim Cahill is 38 years old. He is Australia’s all-time leading goal-scorer. He has scored 50
international goals in 107 appearances.
ii. He did not mention if he would continue playing club football. He was born in Sydney.
iii. He started his international career by playing for Western Samoa under-20s. In 2004, he joined the
Socceroos.
iv. In 2006, he became the first Australian to score a goal at the World Cup in Germany.
v. Also, in 2007, he became the first Australian to score at an Asian Cup. In 2015, he helped the
Socceroos to win the Asian title for the first time.
vi. He had appeared in 4 World Cups. He had also played for China’s Shanghai Shenhua and Hangzhou
Greentown.
Neeraj Chopra strikes gold at Sotteville Athletics Meet in France

On 18th July 2018, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics
Meet in France.
i. Neeraj Chopra made a throw of 85.17m and won the gold medal. Moldova’s Andrian Mardare with a
throw of 81.48m secured second position.
ii. Lithuania’s Edis Matusevicius with a throw of 79.31m secured third position. Neeraj Chopra is 20
years old. He hails from Panipat.
iii. Neeraj Chopra had won gold medal in the 2016 World Junior Championship with a record throw of
86.48m.
iv. He had also won gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. He broke
the national record with a 87.43m throw at the Doha Diamond League, with a fourth position finish.
The International Cricket Council released its ODI rankings; VIrat Kohli tops the chart with 911
points
On July 19, 2018, The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the latest ODI rankings and India
captain Virat Kohli has topped with a score of 911 points a career high for him.This is the highest since
Australia’s Dean Jones tally of 918 points in March 1991.
Top 5 Batting Rankings:
Player Rank
Virat Kohli 1
Joe Root 2
Babar Azam 3
Rohit Sharma 4
David Warner 5
Top 5 Bowling Rankings:
Player Rank
Jasprit Bumrah 1
155 | P a g e
Rashid Khan 2
Hasan Ali 3
Trent Boult 4
Josh Hazlewood 5
Top 5 ODI All rounder
Player Rank
Shakib Al Hasan 1
Mohammad Hafeez 2
Mohammad Nabi 3
Mitchell Santner 4
Angelo Mathews 5
IOC adds 7 medal events to 2022 Beijing Winter Games; total no of events add up to 109
On July 20, 2018, The International Olympic Committee (IOC ) in its Tokyo 2020 Olympics schedule
announced that it had added 7 medal event to its 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
i. These events include : women’s monobob, Big Air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed
team events in short track speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboardcross.
ii. The addition of gold medals to a 109-event program caused a reduction in 41 athletes as
complared to 2,933 competitors in Pyeongchang Olympics.
iii. An improved gender balance will be seen with 45.4 percent female athletes in Beijing, rising from
41.1 percent in Pyeongchang.
iv. Women’s ice hockey will become a 10-team lineup instead of eight, adding 46 athletes.
v. Sports losing athletes from their Olympic quota include 41 in skiing disciplines, 26 from skating and
20 fewer in biathlon.
vi. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics had no finalized race on Swimming.
vii. A timetable was announced of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
26th edition of Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY) 2018 was held in Los
Angeles on July 19, 2018.
On July 19, 2018, The 26th edition of Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY) 2018 was
held in the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
i. The ceremony was hosted by former professional racing driver Danica Patrick.
ii. Chloe Kim and Tom Brady were among the most nominated athletes.Below are the list of the
winners in their respective categories:
Category Winner
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance Jim Kelly, Pro Football Hall of Fame
quarterback
Best Male Athlete Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Best Female Athlete Chloe Kim, Snowboard
Best International Men’s Soccer Player Cristiano Ronaldo, Real
Madrid/Portuguese National Team
Best International Women’s Soccer Player Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars/Australian
National Team
Best Male Tennis Player Roger Federer
Best Female Tennis Player Sloane Stephens
About Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award (ESPY):
♦ First Awarded: 1993.
♦ Awarded For: Excellence in sports performance and achievements.
28th Meeting of Shooting Hopes junior international championship was held in Plzen, Czech
Republic from July 11-15, 2018
156 | P a g e
On July 20, 2018, 28th Meeting of Shooting Hopes junior International Championship was held
between July 11 – 15, 2018 in Pilsen, Czech Republic.
Venue:
This competition was organized in the well-known Army shooting range in Plzeň-Lobzy.
Highlights:
i. Manu Bhaker won her 9th International Gold medal in the span of one year.
ii. She also became the youngest Indian ever to win Gold in a senior World stage, achieving the feat in
Guadalajara, Mexico in March 2018.
Indian Medals List:
Gold:
Player Event
Manu Bhaker 10 m Pistol Junior Female
Manu Bhaker, Devanshi Rana, Shreya 10 m Pistol Junior Female team
Agrawal,
Manu Bhaker , Anmol Jain 10 m air pistol mixed team
Manu Bhaker, Gaur, Muskan 25 m Pistol Junior female team
Elavenil Valarivan 10 m Rifle ISSF Junior Female
Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu 25 m Pistol Junior Male
Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu, Vijayveer Sidhu, 25 m Pistol Junior Male (team)
Udhayveer Sidhu
Saurabh Chaudhary 10 m Pistol Junior male
Arjun Singh Cheema 50 m Pistol Junior male
Arjun Singh Cheema , Anmol Jain, Rana 50 m Pistol Junior male team
Elavenil Valarivan, Divyanish Singh Panwar 10 m rifle ISSF Mixed
Silver:
Anhad Jawanda, Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior male (team)
Singh
Vijayveer Sidhu 25 m Pistol Junior Male
Anhad Jawanda, Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh 25 m Pistol Junior Male (team)
Singh
Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar 50 m Rifle 3 Position Junior male
Anhad Jawanda 10 m Pistol Junior male
Arjun Singh Cheema, Rana, Sidhu 10 m Pistol Junior male team
Divyanish Singh Panwar 10 m Rifle ISSF Junior male
Manu Bhaker 25 m Pistol Junior female
Anmol Jain 50 m Pistol Junior male
Bronze:
Anhad Jawanda 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior male
Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agrawal, 10 m Rifle ISSF Junior Female (team)
Khitta
Udhayveer Sidhu 25 m Pistol Junior Male
Panwar, Hazarika, Rithik 10 m Rifle ISSF Junior male team
Vijayveer Sidhu 50 m Pistol Junior male
Shreya Agrawal, Hriday Hazarika 10 m rifle ISSF Mixed
Devanshi Rana, Saurabh Chaudhary 10 m pistol mixed team
Amateur Pranavi Urs wins 9th leg of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour
On 20th July 2018, Pranavi Urs won the 9th leg of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Eagleton golf
resort, in Bengaluru.
i. Pranavi Urs shot even par 72 for a total of 4-over 220 and won the 9th leg of the Hero women’s Pro
golf Tour.
157 | P a g e
ii. She became the second amateur to win a title this season. Ridhima Dilawari was the first amateur to
win a Hero WPGT event this season, as she finished on top at the 7th leg.
iii. Tvesa Malik (75) and Gaurika Bishnoi (76) were Tied-2nd. With the consolation for Tvesa Malik for
Rs.7,85,600 she moved to the top of the Hero WPGT Order of Merit, surpassing Neha Tripathi with
Rs.7,53,200.
iv. Gursimar Badwal with Rs.6,89,300 is third after being Tied-4th with Neha Tripathi (76).
v. Gursimar Badwal (75) and Neha Tripathi (76) finished Tied-4th with a total of 224.
vi. Trisha Sunil (76) was sixth with 225. Amandeep Drall (74) and Anisha Padukone (74) were Tied-
7th with 228.
vii. Suchitra Ramesh (78) was 9th with 229 and Sonam Chugh (74) was at spot 10.
India’s Muhammed Anas Yahiya breaks own national 400 metres record
On 21st July 2018, India’s Muhammad Anas Yahiya broke his own national record to win the 400
metres race at the Cena Noveho Mesta nad Metuji meet in Czech Republic.
i. Muhammed Anas Yahiya set the new record when he won gold medal with a time of 45.24
seconds in the 400 metres race.
ii. His earlier national record was 45.31 which he set when he finished fourth at the Gold Coast
Commonwealth Games.
iii. He became the second Indian sprinter to reach the finals of the one-lap event at the
Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast after Milkha Singh.
iv. In the women’s event, MR Poovamma won gold medal with a timing of 53.01 seconds.
v .Rajiv Arokia secured third position in the men’s 200m event with a time of 20.77 seconds.
vi. In the Asian Championships 2017 in Bhubaneswar, Muhammed Anas Yahiya had won the gold
medal after finishing in 45.77 seconds.
Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman becomes quickest player to reach 1000 runs

On 22nd July 2018, Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman became the quickest player to reach the 1000
runs in one-day internationals (ODI). He achieved this mark during the 5th and final ODI of the
ongoing five-match series against Zimbabwe.
i. Fakhar Zaman has broken the record of West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards. Fakhar Zaman took
18 innings to reach the 1000 mark. Vivian Richards had achieved this mark in 21 matches.
ii. Fakhar Zaman is 28 years old. He played his first ODI in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
iii. His innings of 210 runs in the 4th match against Zimbabwe was the first double century in the ODI
format by a Pakistani cricketer.
iv. Also, he is the eighth overall after Rohit Sharma (thrice), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Chris
Gayle and Martin Guptill.
v. Fakhar Zaman has scored 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries in 18 ODIs that he has played so far.
Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker becomes world’s most expensive goalkeeper ; worth 75
pound joined Liverpool team
On July 22, 2018, Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Beckar became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper
upon joining the team of Liverpool from Roma.
i. The deal was worth £75 million with £65 million as the amount and £10 million for add-ons.
ii. He replaced Loris Kunis who made 2 high profile mistakes in the Champions league in May.
iii. His transfer records have beaten:
Ederson Moraes (£34.7 million, Benfica to Manchester City)
Gianluigi Buffon (£33 million, Parma to Juventus)
Jordan Pickford (£27 million, Sunderland to Everton)
Meret Alex: (£19.6 million, Udinese to Napoli)
iv. Alisson became Brazil’s starting goalkeeper in 2016.
v. Virgil van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender upon joining Liverpool for $99 million
in January.
158 | P a g e
vi. Central midfielders Fabinho and Naby Keita have joined Liverpool with combined cost of $120
million.
Rafael Nadal remains at the top of the ATP tennis world rankings
Rafael Nadal remains in the top position of the ATP tennis world rankings as per standings on
23rd July 2018.
ATP tennis world rankings:
i. Rafael Nadal is 32 years old. He is a 17 time Grand Slam winner.
ii. ATP standings on 23rd July 2018:
1 – Rafael Nadal (ESP) with 9,310 points
2 – Roger Federer (SUI) with 7,080 points
3 – Alexander Zverev (GER) with 5,665 points
4 – Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) with 5,395 points
5 – Kevin Anderson (RSA) with 4,655 points
6 – Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) with 4,610 points
7 – Marin Cilic (CRO) with 3,905 points
8 – Dominic Thiem (AUT) with 3,665 points
9 – John Isner (USA) with 3,490 points
10 – Novak Djokovic (SRB) with 3,355 points
Lewis Hamilton won German Grand Prix 2018

On 22nd July 2018, Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix 2018 held at Hockenheimring track in
Germany.
i. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton secured the first position in the German Grand Prix 2018. He was
followed by Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes in the second position.
ii. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen secured the third position. The first part of the F1 season ends in Hungary
next weekend.
Badminton Asia Junior Championship 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia

On 14th to 22nd July 2018, Badminton Asia Junior Championship 2018 was held in Jakarta,
Indonesia.The tournament was played in a mixed team format and individual format. From 14th to
17th July 2018. The individual events were played from 18th to 22nd July 2018.
i. On 22nd July 2018, Indian badminton player Lakshaya Sen defeated Indonesia’s Kunlavut Vitidsaran
21-19, 21-18 in the finals and won gold medal in the Badminton Asia Junior Championship.
ii. Lakshaya Sen has won a gold medal for India at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship after a
gap of 6 years. He is 16 years old.
India’s Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy win Lagos International title (Badminton)
On 22nd July 2018, India’s Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy won the men’s doubles title at Lagos
International Badminton in Lagos, Nigeria.From 18th to 21st July 2018, Lagos International 2018
(International Challenge) was held in Lagos, Nigeria.
i. Defending champions Mannu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy retained the title by defeating another Indian
pair S. Vaibhav and Prakash Raj 21-12, 22-12 in the finals.
ii. Also, Kuhoo Garg and Ria Mukherjee defeated Krishma Wadekar and V Harika 21-10 21-18 in the
finals of women’s doubles event.
iii. In mixed doubles final, India’s Manu Attri and Manisha defeated Kuhoo Garg and Rohan Kapoor of
India 21-17 22-20 and won gold medal.
iv. Indian’s Sree Krishina Priya defeated Russia’s Ksenia Polikaprova in the finals of the women’s
singles event and won silver medal.
v. In men’s singles event, Israel’s Misha Zilberman defeated Malaysia’s Ramdam Misburn and won the
title.
159 | P a g e
ICC Test ranking revealed for three Categories

On July 24, 2018, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin ranked 3rd and 5th in the ICC Test
rankings (Bowling).
i. Ravindra Jadeja had scored 866 points and Ravichandran Ashwin has scored 811 points.
The ICC Test rankings are as follows:
Bowlers:
Rank Player Country
1 James Anderson England
2 Kagiso Rabada South Africa
3 Ravindra Jadeja India
4 Vernon Philander South Africa
5 Ravichandran Ashwin India
Batting:
Rank Player Country
1 Steve Smith Australia
2 Virat Kohli India
3 Joe Root England
4 Kane Williamson New Zealand
5 David Warner Australia
All Rounders:
Rank Player Country
1 Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh
2 Ravindra Jadeja India
3 Vernon Philander South Africa
4 Ravichandran Ashwin India
5 Jason Holder West Indies
Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championships 2018

i.Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championships – 2018 held in Macau from 20th to 22nd July 2018
ii.The Championships have Participants of 30 Countries from 5 Continents
Indian Participants:
iii.From India 29 Members Participated in the Asian Cup for Cadets & Junior Judo Championship
2018,In which there were (5 male +7 female players in Cadet and 7 male +6 female players in Junior
category).They went along with 4 Coaches on 15th July and the team attended the training Camp from
16th -19th July.
Medal Won:
Indian Cadet and Junior Judo Teams have won 15 medals (4 Gold, 2 Silver and 9 Bronze medals)
S.No. Name of player Weight Medal Age category
1 Ms. Rohini Sambhaji Mohite -40Kg Gold medal Cadet
2 Mr. Mayank Kandian -60Kg Silver medal Cadet
3 Ms. Rebina Devi Chanam -57Kg Bronze medal Cadet
4 Ms. Roshni Devi Laishram -70Kg Bronze medal Cadet
5 Mr. Manpreet -73Kg Bronze medal Cadet
6 Mr. Harsh Tokas -81kg Bronze medal Cadet
7 Ms. Pinckey Balhara -52Kg Gold medal Junior
8 Ms. Tulika Maan +78kg Gold medal Junior
9 Mr. Shiva Kumar -55Kg Gold medal Junior
10 Mr. Rohit -100kg Silver medal Junior
11 Ms. Megha Tokas -57Kg Bronze medal Junior
12 Mr. Mohsin Gulab Ali -60Kg Bronze medal Junior
13 Mr. Nitin Chauhan -66Kg Bronze medal Junior
160 | P a g e
14 Mr. Jobandeep Singh -90Kg Bronze medal Junior

15 Mr. Sachin Mallikc +100Kg Bronze medal Junior
15th National youth athletics championships

The 15th National Youth Athletics Championships were held at Manjalpur Sports
Complex in Vadodara from July 21- 23 , 2018.It was organized by Gujarat State Amateur Athletics
Association under Athletics Federation of India.
i.Dhanvir and 100 meter hurdles gold medalist Aparna Roy were declared as ‘best athletes’ of the
meet.
ii.Haryana won the team championships title with 165 points. Kerala came second with 150.
iii.Haryana athlete Mohit Kumar set national record in the men’s decathlon by talling 6707 points at
the end of the ten events to erase the old mark of 6618 points set by A Sangwan last year.
iv.Rakesh Gond set a youth national record of clearing a height of 4.90m to erase the national mark of
4.75m set by Kanhaiya Singh in 2017..
v.The Punjab athlete, Dhanvir Singh, scripted a record in the 5th attempt by throwing 19.69
meters,the previous record was set by set by Navtejdeep Singh in 2011, when he had thrown 19.34
meters.
vi.Kerala’s Vishnu Priya broke the women’s 400 meter hurdles record after she clocked 1:02.52
seconds. The previous meet record was scripted by PO Sanya in 2015, when she had set a time of
1:02.58 seconds.
About Athletics Federation of India:
Founded: 1946.
Founder: Prof. GD Sondhi, Maharaja Yadvindra Singh.
President: Adille Sumariwalla.
Secretary General: C K Valson.
It is the apex body in Athletics in India and is responsible for conducting Competitions in the country.
Junior Asian Wrestling Championship

The Junior Asian Wrestling Championship was held in New Delhi from July 17-22, 2018.
Junior Asian Wrestling Championship is conducted by United World Wrestling
(UWW) annually.18 countries participated in this championship.
In the Freestyle team :
i.18 teams participated.Iran topped the team championships with 189 points .
ii.India ranked second with 173 points and Uzbekistan ranked third with 128 points.India
won 8 medals comprising of : 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze.
In the Greco Roman team :
i.15 teams participated.Iran topped the rankings with 225 points followed by Kazakhstan
(2nd) and Kyrgyzstan (3rd).
ii.India ranked 4th with 129 points.India won 5 medals comprising of: 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze.
In the Women’s Wrestling team:
i.12 teams participated.Japan topped the ranking with 213 points followed by China (2nd) with 168
points.
ii.India ranked 3rd with 135 points.India won 5 medals comprising of: 2 Silver and 3 Bronze.
The medals won by India are as follows:
Freestyle:
Gold:
Player Event
Sachin Rathi 74 kg
Deepa Punia 86 kg
Silver:
Player Event
Vishal Kaliraman 70 kg
161 | P a g e
Naveen 57 kg junior
Sachin Giri 79 kg
Bronze:
Player Event
Karan 65 kg
Suraj Kumar Kokate 61 kg
Mohit 125 kg
Greco-Roman :
Gold
Sajan 77 kg
Silver:
Vijay 55 kg
Aryan Panwar 130 kg
Bronze :
Kumar Sunil 87 kg
Viresh Kundu 97 kg
Women’s Wrestling:
Silver:
Mansi 57 kg
Divya Kakran 68 kg
Bronze:
Swati Sanjay Shinde 53 kg
Reena 55 kg
Karuna 76 kg
Indian women’s compound archery team bag number 1 spot in world rankings
On 27th July 2018, the Indian Women’s Compound Archery team has secured number one position in
the world rankings as per World Archery Association (WAA).
i. The Indian Women’s Compound Archery team has secured number one position with 342.6 points.
ii. Current world rankings in Women’s Compound Archery:
Position Country
1 India
2 Chinese Taipei
3 Colombia
4 United States of America
5 Republic of Korea
About Archery Association of India:
♦ Founded – 1973
♦ Honorary Life President – Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra
♦ Acting President – Tarlochan Singh.
A world record of 58.00sec set by Kathleen Baker at the US Swimming Championship

On July 29, 2018, Kathleen Baker set a world record of 58.00sec to win the 100m backstroke at the US
swimming championships.
i. Earlier world record of 58.10 set by Canadian Kylie Masse at the World Championships in Budapest
on July 25 of last year.
ii. The top three finishers all broke 59 seconds, with Olivia Smoliga second in 58.75 and Smith third in
58.83.
162 | P a g e
Russian Open 2018 held in Vladivostok, Russia from July 24-29th 2018.
i. The 2018 Russian Open, was a badminton tournament which took place at Sport Hall Olympic in
Vladivostok, Russia from 24 to 29 July 2018.It has a total prize of $75,000.
ii. Sourabh Verma beat Koki Watanabe to lift the Russian Open Badminton trophy 2018.
iii. This is his first title of the season after 2 years of him winning the Chinese Taipei Masters in
2016. He also finished runners-up at Bitburger Open in 2016.
iv. In Mixed Doubles, the pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg came in second after the duo Vladmir
Ivanov & Kim Min Kyung.
Winners:
Event Winner Runners Up
Men’s Singles Sourabh Verma (India) Koki Watanabe ( Japan)
Women’s Singles Ho Yen Mei (Malaysia) Shiroi Ebihara (Japan)
Men’s Doubles Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif Konstantin Abramov & Alexandr
& Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Zinchenko (Russia)
(Malaysia)
Women’s Doubles Chisato Hoshi & Kie Choe Mei Kuan & Lee Meng Yean
Nakanishi (Japan) (Malaysia)
Mixed Doubles Vladmir Ivanov (Russia) & Rohan Kapoor & Kuhoo Garg
Kim Min Kyung (South (India)
Korea)
3 day Yasar Dogu International wrestling 2018 tournament held in Istanbul, Turkey
On July 27-29, 2018, The Yasar Dogu International Wrestling was held in Istanbul, Turkey.
It was conducted in two events namely Free Style and Women Wrestling.
i. India won a total of 10 medals: 2 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medal.
ii. In Freestyle India won 3 medals: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze.
iii. In Women’s Wrestling India won 7 medals: 1 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze.
Winners List:
Gold:
Bajrang 70 kg Freestyle
Pinki 55 kg Women’s Wrestling
Silver:
Sandeep Tomar 61 kg Freestyle
Pooja Dhanda 57 kg Women’s Wrestling
Rajni 72 kg Women’s Wrestling
Seema 53 kg Women’s Wrestling
Bronze:
Vicky 57 kg Freestyle
Sangeeta Balali 59 kg Women’s Wrestling
Sarita 62 kg Women’s Wrestling
Geeta 65 kg Women’s Wrestling
Below are the ranking of the countries that participated in the tournament.
Team Scores of the Tournament in Freestyle :
Rank Country
1 USA
2 Iran
3 Turkey
4 Azerbaijan
5 Ukraine
Team Scores of the Tournament in Women’s Wrestling :
1 Ukraine
163 | P a g e
2 India
3 Turkey
4 Azerbaijan
5 Germany
International Army Games 2018 in Moscow

On 28th July 2018, the International Army Games 2018 was inaugurated by Russian Defence Minister
Sergei Shoigu, at Patriot Park in Moscow, Russia.
i. The International Army Games 2018 is held from 28th July to 11th August 2018. The games are
conducted at 24 training grounds in 7 countries namely Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Iran,
Kazakhstan, China and Russia.
ii. 189 teams from 32 countries are participating in this games. 28 contests will be held during the
tournament.
iii. This is the first time Armenia and Iran are co-hosting events of the Army Games.
iv. Indian teams are participating in 2 major competitions: Tank Biathlon event at Alabino ranges,
Moscow region and Elbrus Ring competition in Caucasus mountains.
v. Indian Ambassador to Russia, Pankaj Saran took part in the opening ceremony.
Prabhat Koli became the 1st Asian Teen to Swim UK-France Channel
On 26th July 2018, Prabhat Koli became the first Asian to swim the choppy water from Jersey (an
Island in the UK) to Francein cold weather.
i. Prabhat Koli is a 19 year old college student. He covered 25km in 6 hours and 54 minutes.
ii. He started from La Coupe Point of Jersey and reached St Germain Plage on the Normandy coast of
France. The temperature of water was nearly 16-170c during the swim.
iii. The swim was organized by Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club (JLDSC) under the observation of
Sally Minty Gravett of the UK.
iv. Prabhat Koli had crossed the English Channel when he was 16 years old.
Dustin Johnson won 2018 RBC Canadian Open (Golf)

On 29th July 2018, Dustin Johnson won the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at the Glen Abbey Golf Club in
Oakville in Canada.
i. Dustin Johnson shot a 6-under par 66 and won his first RBC Canadian Open at 23-under par. He is
currently in world number one position.
ii. Now he has become the first player after Tiger Woods (2005-09) with at least three wins in three
consecutive seasons.
iii. Dustin Johnson was awarded $1,116,000 for the win. Byeong Hun An and Whee
Kim secured second place.
iv. Mackenzie Hughes won his second consecutive Rivermead Cup. This Cup is presented to the low
Canadian who finishes in a tie for 8th at 15-under par.
Neeraj Chopra wins gold medal in javelin throw at Savo Games in Finland
On 29th July 2018, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, won a gold medal in the Savo Games in
Lapinlahti, Finland.
i. Neeraj Chopra made a throw of 85.69 metres and won the gold medal. Chao-Tsun Cheng of Chinese
Taipei made a throw of 82.52m and won a silver medal.
ii. Chao-Tsun Cheng is the only Asian to have thrown the javelin to a distance more than 90m. He
achieved this feat by making a throw of 91.36m during the World University Games in Taipei in 2017.
164 | P a g e
OBITUARY
Ex Navy chief Admiral JG Nadkarni Passed away
On 2nd July 2018, former chief of naval staff Admiral JG Nadkarni died at naval hospital in Mumbai.
i. He was 86 years old. He was the Navy chief from December 1987 to November 1990.
ii. He was the 14th Chief of Naval Staff. He was the founding member of the Maritime History Society.
Marwar Rajmata Krishna Kumari passes away

On 3rd July 2018, Rajmata of the erstwhile Marwar principality and former MP, Krishna
Kumari, passed away following a heart attack in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
i. She was 92 years old. She was born in 1926. She was the princess of Dharangdhra in Gujrat.
ii. She married the then ruler of Marwar, Hanwant Singh, in 1943. After the death of Hanwant Singh in
1952, she took the responsibility of campaigning for the elections, managing the family and other
responsibilities.
Tony Award Winner Liliane Montevecchi dies at 85

On 29th June 2018, French-Italian actress Liliane Montevecchi, died after fighting colon cancer, at her
residence in Manhattan, United States.
i. She was 85 years old. She was born in Paris in 1932. She started dancing at the age of 8.
ii. She entered Hollywood in the 1950s. In 2013, she was honored by the French Minister of Culture as
an “Officer of Arts and Culture” to France and the world.
Kumaoni folk singer Kabutari Devi dies

On 7th July 2018, popular Kumaoni folk singer Kabutari Devi died following a heart attack, at a hospital
in Uttarakhand.
i.She was 70 years old. Her songs expressed the struggles in the life of Pahari women.
ii. She made her first performance at All India Radio, Lucknow in the 1980s. She has received various
awards including from the Ministry of Culture, Government of Uttarakhand.
Senior Congress leader M M Jacob passes away

On 6th July 2018, senior Congress leader and former Meghalaya Governor MM Jacob died due to age-
related ailments, at a private hospital in Pala near Kottayam, Kerala.
i. He is a former Union Minister. He had also served as deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
ii. He hailed from Ramapuram in Kottayam district, Kerala. He had also worked as general secretary
and treasurer of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and Chairman of Kerala State Seva Dal Board
and an elected member of AICC (All India Congress Committee).
J N Sadhu, the Veteran journalist has passed away

On 7th July 2018, journalist J N Sadhu died following a long term illness in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
i.He was 94 years old. He worked with The Indian Express for around 35 years.
ii. He was working as a free lance journalist after his retirement.
Spiritual leader, head of Sadhu Vaswani mission Dada JP Vaswani passes away in Pune
On 12th July 2018, Spiritual leader and head of Sadhu Vaswani mission Dada JP Vaswani died due to
old age related ailments in Pune, Maharashtra.
i. Jashan Pahlajrai Vaswani was 99 years old. He was born in Pakistan’s Hyderabad city on 2nd of
August 1918.
ii. He was a popular spiritual leader. He promoted vegetarianism and animal rights. He has written
more than 150 self-help books.
iii. He had received the 1998 U Thant Peace Award from the United Nations. He edited 3 monthly
journals namely the Excelsior, the India Digest and the East and West series.
165 | P a g e
Dr.N N Wig Doyen of Indian Psychiatry dies at 88 in Chandigarh

On July 13, 2018, Dr. & Prof. N N Wig, the doyen of Psychiatry in India died at the age of 88 after a
brief illness in Chandigarh.
i. He led many pioneering studies related to mental health at national and international levels and
was head of the Department of Psychiatry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.
ii. He set up the psychiatry department at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and
Research (PGIMER), in 1963.
iii. Wig was born on October 1, 1930 in Gujranwala, Pakistan. He completed his MBBS from KG
Medical College, Lucknow in 1953 and MD Medicine from Lucknow University in 1957.
iv. He pursued his interest in psychiatry by training at the All India Institute of Mental Health (now
NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
v. On his return, he joined the Medical College at Lucknow as a lecturer in neuropsychiatry.
vi. He completed the Diploma in Psychological Medicine both from England and Scotland.
vii. From 1984 till 1990 he was the Regional Advisor for Mental Health at the Regional office of
the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) of the World Health Organisation at Alexandria, Egypt.
viii. He was the Honorary General Secretary of the Indian Psychiatric Society from 1968-1973.
ix. He had immense contribution in areas of in the area of nosology, culture bound syndromes, course
and outcome of psychoses, psychotherapy and psychology.
x. He has a unit after him at the Fountain House Psychiatric Centre at Lahore.
Former DGCA chief Kanu Gohain passed away

On July 14, 2018, Former Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Kanu Gohain died after a brief
illness at the age of 68 at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.
i. He is survived by two sons.
ii .He was the last technocrat to head the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), retired from
services in 2008.
iii. After retirement, he became a director on the board of Indamer, an MRO company.
Senior journalist Kalpesh Yagnik passed away

On July 14, 2018, Senior journalist Kalpesh Yagnik after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 55 at
Indore.He was the group editor of popular Hindi daily ‘Dainik Bhaskar’.
Kannada poet M.N. Vyasa Rao passes away

On 15th July 2018, Kannada poet and film lyricist M.N. Vyasa Rao died following a cardiac arrest at his
home in Bengaluru.
i. M.N. Vyasa Rao was 73 years old. He was a bank employee by profession.In 1975, he entered
Kannada film industry as a lyricist in the film Shubhamangala.
ii. His other poems are also known as ‘bhaavageetes’ (light music). He was also a novelist.He had
written various detective and literary novels and short stories in Kannada.
iii. He had also received Karnataka Rajya Sahitya Academy award for his short story collection
“Maleyalli Neneda Maragalu”.
Noted activist Rajmata Satvashila Devi Bhosle passes away

On 18th July 2018, activist Rajmata Satvashila Devi Bhosle died due to a long term illness at
Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.
i. Rajmata Satvashila Devi Bhosle was 83 years old. She belonged to the Konkan region in
Maharashtra.
ii. She was the wife of the last King of the Sawantwadi Kingdom late Shivramraje Bhosle. Shivramraje
Bhosle was coronated before the merger of the princely state into Union of India.
166 | P a g e
The former and first finance minister of Chhattisgarh Ramchandra Singhdeo, passed away
On July 20, 2018, The 88 year old former and first finance minister of Chhattisgarh, Ramchandra
Singhdeo, had passed away in Raipur.
i. He was born on February 13, 1930 in Baikunthpur in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh.
ii. He had a Masters Degree in Science and doctorate (PhD) in life science.
iii. He served as the Minister of Water Resources before Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya
Pradesh in 2000.
Eminent Hindi poet-lyricist Gopal Das Neeraj passed away in kolkata

On July 20, 2018, eminent Hindi poet Gopal Das Niraj passed away in Kolkata.
i. He was born on January 4,1925 in the village of Puravali near Mahewa of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.
ii. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2007.
iii. He also won Yash Bharati award, and was the chancellor of Mangalayatan University, Aligarh.
Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold dies

On 21st July 2018, food critic Jonathan Gold died due to pancreatic cancer in United States.
i. J onathan Gold was 57 years old. He became the first restaurant critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for
criticism in 2007.
ii. He worked for Los Angeles Times as restaurant critic. He was the subject of a documentary named
“City of Gold” released in 2015. It was directed by filmmaker Laura Gabbert.
Veteran Bengali actress Basabi Nandi passed away

On 23rd July 2018, Bengali actress Basabi Nandi died due to cardiac arrest. Basabi Nandi was 82 years
old. She was also a playback singer.In 1974, she received the Best Supporting Actress Award from
Bengal Film Journalists Association.
Veteran sports journalist Swapan Sarkar passes away

On 26th July 2018, sports journalist Swapan Sarkar died due to diabetic complications.He was the
Delhi sports correspondent of Ananda Bazaar Patrika (ABP).Earlier, he had worked for Amrita Bazar
Patrika, Northern India Patrika and Gujarat Samachar.
Former Kerala Minister Cherkallam Abdullah passes away

On 27th July 2018, former Kerala Minister for Local Self Government Cherkallam Abdullah, died after a
long term illness at his residence.
i.He was 76 years old. He is a four-time MLA from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district.
ii. He was the Minister for Local Self Government from 2001 to 2004. He was also a senior IUML
(Indian Union Muslim League) leader.
World’s oldest person Chiyo Miyako, a Japanese woman, dies at 117

On 22nd July 2018, Chiyo Miyako, the world’s oldest person, passed away in Tokyo, Japan.
i. She was 117 years old Japanese woman. She was born on 2nd May 1901.
ii. She became the world’s oldest person in April 2018 after Nabi Tajima of Japan died at the age of
117 years.
iii. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan, said that, 115-year-old Kane Tanaka of Japan, is the
new oldest person.
‘Ek doctor ki maut’ writer Ramapada Chowdhury passes away at 95

On 29th July 2018, Bengali writer Ramapada Chowdhury, died due to cardiac arrest.
i. Ramapada Chowdhury was 95 years old. He was born on December 28, 1922 at Kharagpur.
ii. His story ‘Abhimanyu’ was made into an award winning Hindi movie named ‘Ek doctor ki maut’ in
1990.
iii.It was based on the life of Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay who developed India’s first and the world’s
167 | P a g e
second test-tube baby in 1978.

iv. His story ‘Beej’ was made into a Hindi film named ‘Ek din achanak’ (1989).
v. Some of his important works are: ‘Pratham Prahar’ (1954), ‘Banpalashir padabali’ (1960), ‘Ekhoni’
(1969), ‘Kharij’, ‘Bari badle jay’ (1988), ‘Abhimanyu’ (1982).
vi. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy award in 1988. He had also received the Rabindra Puraskar,
Ananda Puraskarand Rabindranath Tagore Memorial International Prize.
Former FTII director John Sankaramangalam passes away

On 30th July 2018, filmmaker and former director of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), John
Sankaramangalam, died due to age related ailments in Thiruvalla, Kerala.
i.He was 84 years old. He hailed from Pathanamthitta in Kerala. He had received two National and four
Kerala State Film Awards.
ii. He had directed several experimental movies and documentaries. He had secured a diploma in
direction and screenplay writing from FTII. Later, he became the director of FTII.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

“Winning Like Sourav: Think & Succeed Like Ganguly” by Abhirup Bhattacharya
The book “Winning Like Sourav: Think & Succeed Like Ganguly” has been written by Abhirup
Bhattacharya.
i. This book speaks about Sourav Ganguly’s trust on talented youngsters that gained India one of its
greatest cricketers of all times – Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
ii.Sourav Ganguly is also credited for encouraging players like Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Zaheer
Khan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and building the concepts of ‘Team India’ and ‘Men in Blue’.
iii. Sourav Ganguly turned 46 years on 8th July 2018. Abhirup Bhattacharya has previously authored
“Winning Like Virat: Think and Success Like Kohli”.
Ramachandra Guha pens “Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)” book
A book titled “Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)” has been written Ramachandra
Guha. This book will be released in September 2018.
i. This book will be will be published by Penguin Random House India. Ramachandra Guha is a
popular historian and author. He is 60 years old.
ii. He has written several bestselling books like “India After Gandhi” and “Gandhi Before India”.
iii. “Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)” is said to be the most definitive new
biography of Gandhi.
iv. This book will narrate the story of Gandhi’s life, from his departure from South Africa to his
assassination in 1948. It will also tell the history of Indian freedom movement.
v. This book also contains Gandhi’s arguments with B.R. Ambedkar, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Subhas
Chandra Bose, etc. This book is a follow up to “Gandhi Before India” (2013).
“When Coal Turned Gold: The Making of a Maharatna Company” written by Partha Sarathi
Bhattacharyya
The book “When Coal Turned Gold: The Making of a Maharatna Company” has been written by Coal
India Ltd’s (CIL)’s former chairman Partha Sarathi Bhattacharyya.
i. This book talks about the transformation of Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) from a loss-making enterprise into
a profitable Maharatna PSU.
ii. When the Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) was given the Navratna status in October 2008, the government
mandated the company to get listed in the stock exchange within 3 years.
iii. CIL’s then Chairman Partha Sarathi Bhattacharyya headed the initial public offering (IPO) in 2010
and made it a success.
168 | P a g e
IMPORTANT DAYS
National Doctors’ Day – July 1
On 1st July 2018, National Doctors’ Day was celebrated throughout India.
i. In 1991, the Indian government declared July 1 as National Doctors day. This day marks the birth
and death anniversary of the most famous physician of India Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (Dr. B C Roy).
ii. Dr. B C Roy was born on 1st July 1882. He had received the Bharat Ratna Award in 1961. He was the
second Chief Minister of West Bengal.
iii. Dr. B C Roy had played a major role in the formation of Indian Medical Association in 1928 and also
in the formation of Medical Council of India (MCI).
iv. MCI had constituted the Bidhan Chandra Roy Award in 1976 in the memory of Dr. B C Roy.
iv. National Doctors’ Day highlights the role of doctors in our lives and values their contributions to
the society.
v The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has declared the theme for Doctors’ Day 2018 as: ‘zero
tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment’.
vi. IMA has also decided to observed July 1 to 8 as ‘Safe Fraternity Week’.
International Joke Day – July 1

On 1st July 2018, International Joke Day was celebrated all over the world.International Joke Day is
said to have officially started in the United States. The first joke is often attributed to the Greeks.
1st July 2018 celebrated as ‘GST day’, to commemorate the first year of the unprecedented
reform of Indian taxation
On 1st July 2018, Indian Government celebrated the 1st Anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax
(GST) as GST day.
i. GST was launched on the 1st July 2017 at a grand ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament.
ii. Union Minister for Railways, Coal, Finance & Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal presided over as the
Chief Guest of the event. Minister of State for Finance, Shiv Pratap Shukla was the Guest of Honour.
iii. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was introduced in the Parliament on
19th December 2014. It was enacted as Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016.
iv. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council was notified with effect from 12th September 2016.
v. The GST Council consists of the Union Finance Minister as Chairman, the Minister of State
(Revenue) and the State Finance/Taxation Ministers as members.
vi. The council makes recommendations to the Union and the States on all GST related issues. The
Council has met 27 times so far.
vii. Four Laws called CGST Act, UTGST Act, IGST Act and GST (Compensation to States) Act were
passed by the Parliament and were notified on 12th April 2017.
viii. All the other States (except Jammu & Kashmir) and Union territories with legislature have passed
their respective SGST Acts.
ix. On 8th July 2017, Jammu and Kashmir also passed the SGST Act and the Central Government also
extended the CGST Act to Jammu and Kashmir.
x. Under this model, tax is levied concurrently by the Centre and States on a common base – supply of
goods or services or both.
xi. GST levied by the Centre is called Central GST (Central tax / CGST). GST levied by the States is
called State GST (State Tax / SGST).
xii. State GST (State Tax / SGST) is called UTGST (Union territory tax) in Union Territories without
legislature.
xiii. CGST & SGST / UTGST is levied on all taxable intra-State supplies. Inter-State supply of goods or
services is subjected to Integrated GST (Integrated tax / IGST).
xiv. IGST enables the Centre to levy IGST (Integrated Goods and Service Tax) that is CGST plus SGST,
on all inter-State supply of goods or services or both.
169 | P a g e
World Sports Journalists Day – July 2

On 2nd July 2018, World Sports Journalists Day was celebrated all over the world.
i. World Sports Journalists Day is celebrated on July 2 every year to honour the services of sports
journalists towards the promotion of sports.
ii. World Sports Journalists Day was established by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS)
in 1994 to mark the 70th anniversary of its foundation.
iii. The International Sports and Press Association (AIPS) was formed in 1924 during the Paris
Summer Olympics.
World UFO day – July 2

On 2nd July 2018, World UFO (Unidentified Flying Objects) day was observed all over the world.
i. World UFO day is celebrated on 2nd July every year. The first World UFO Day was celebrated in 2001.
ii. This day is dedicated to the existence of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). This day is celebrated to
create awareness about the existence of UFO’s.
iii. This day is also observed for encouraging governments to officially declare their knowledge about
UFO sightings.
WAPCOS celebrates 50th foundation day

On 3rd July 2018, the 50th Foundation Day celebration of Water and Power Consultancy Services
(WAPCOS) will be held at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi.
i. Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport,
Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari will be the chief guest of the event.
ii. Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Water Resources and Energy Ministers from Burundi,
Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Afghanistan and other countries will also take part in the event.
iii. In 1969, WAPCOS was incorporated as a Public Sector Enterprise by the Indian Government.
iv. It is a techno-commercial organization. It functions under the Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
v. It is one of the best performing Mini Ratna-I CPSE (Central Public Sector Enterprise) of India.
vii. WAPCOS has performed Survey & Investigation/Pre-Feasibility/DPRs for over 550 Projects in
Irrigation, Water Resources and Agricultural etc.
viii. It does consultancy assignments in countries of Asia, Africa, Middle East, and the Pacific Islands. It
operates in over 45 countries.
World Zoonoses Day – July 6

On 6th July 2018, World Zoonoses Day was observed all over the world.
i. World Zoonosis Day is observed on 6th July every year. It commemorates 6th July 1885, the day on
which Louis Pasteur successfully administered the first vaccine against, a zoonotic disease, to Joseph
Meister after he was attacked by a rabid dog.
ii. World Zoonoses Day aims to create awareness on the zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases can be
spread from animals to humans.
iii.Zoonoses are viral diseases like rabies and influenza, bacterial diseases like Lyme disease and
brucellosis, or parasitic diseases like tapeworms. These diseases can be transmitted from animals to
humans.
World Chocolate Day – July 7

On 7th July 2018, World Chocolate Day was celebrated all over the world.
i. World Chocolate Day is celebrated every year on 7th July 2018. This day is said to be commercially
celebrated since 2009.
ii. Cocoa is obtained from the fruit of cocoa trees that are native to Central and South America.
iii. It is said that chocolate was introduced in Europe in 1550. Until then it was known only to the
natives of Mexico and parts of central and South America.
170 | P a g e
iv. World Chocolate Day is celebrated by consuming chocolate and performing other fun activities.
International Day of Cooperatives – 7 July

On 7th July 2018, International Co-operative Day or International Day of Co-operatives was observed
throughout the world.
i. The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July annually.
ii. International Day of Cooperatives was celebrated for the first time in July 1923 by the international
cooperative movement and the International Co-operative Alliance.
iii. It was celebrated as the UN International Day of Co-operatives for the first time in 1995.
iv. The aim of this day is to create awareness on cooperatives and promote international solidarity,
economic efficiency, equality, and world peace.
v. This day also aims to strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative
movement and governments, at local, national and international levels.
vi. The theme for International Day of Cooperatives 2018 is: “sustainable consumption and
production of goods and services”. The Slogan is: Sustainable societies through cooperation.
Global forgiveness day – 7 July

On 7th July 2018, Global forgiveness day was observed all over the world.
i. It is said that, in 1994 the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassador marked August 27th as the
National Forgiveness day.
ii. Later, National Forgiveness Day was renamed as Global Forgiveness Day, and the date was also
shifted from August 27th to July 7th.
iii. The main motto of Global forgiveness day is to forgive and to be forgiven. People use this
opportunity to seek forgiveness for their mistakes and to main peace and harmony in the society.
World Population Day – July 11

World Population Day is celebrated every year on July 11. July 11 was established as World
Population Day in 1989 by the United Nations.Theme for 2018:- “Family Planning is a Human right”
i. It aims to spread awareness on issues such as overpopulation, under-population and birth control.
ii. UNFPA website called for government to “fulfill their commitments to ensure universal access to
sexual and reproductive health care” and published the message as agreed at the 1994 international
conference on population to celebrate the World Population Day.
July 12, 2018 celebrated as International Malala Day

July 12 is celebrated as International Malala Day as on July 12,2013, Malala Yousafzai’s 16th birthday,
she spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education. Today Malala turns 21.
i. According to World Bank, not educating girls or creating barriers in their school education globally
costs between $15-30 trillion.
ii. Less than two-thirds of girls in low-income countries complete primary school and only one in
three girls completes lower secondary school.
iii. According to the report, currently 132 million girls around the world between the ages of 6 and
17 are still not in school — 75 per cent of whom are adolescents.
iv. In the 18 countries for which simulations were carried with demographic projection tools, the
average reduction in population growth was estimated at –0.18 % adding that the reductions in
annual population growth rates are, however, different depending on which country is considered.
v. In India, the largest of the 18 countries, the reduction was estimated at only -0.08 percentage point
because the country has already gone through much of its demographic transition.
World Youth Skills Day – 15 July

On 15th July 2018, World Youth Skills Day was celebrated all over the world.
i. The United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day to create
awareness on the importance of investing in youth skills development.
171 | P a g e
ii. Youngsters are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Women are more
likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to do part-time jobs or work under temporary
contracts.
iii. Thus education and training are considered important determinants of success in the employment
sector.
Nelson Mandela International Day – July 18

On 18th July 2018, Nelson Mandela International Day was observed all over the world.
i. Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, who
was born on 18th July 1918.
ii. The Nelson Mandela Foundation has dedicated Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 to Action
Against Poverty.
iii. In 2009, UN General Assembly declared 18 July as Nelson Mandela International Day.
iv. The UN General Assembly also adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for
the Treatment of Prisoners, and approved that they should be known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules”.
v. Nelson Mandela is the late President of South Africa. He had spent 27 years in prison in his struggle
against racism, poverty and social injustice.
India observes 19th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26th July

On 26th July 2018, the 19th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas was celebrated throughout India to
commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 Kargil War.
i. Kargil Vijay Diwas honours the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for India in the 1999 Kargil War.
ii. On 26th July 1999, India won the Kargil War that was fought for more than 60 days. Kargil Vijay
Diwas is celebrated every year for three days till 26th July.
iii. Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations started on 24th July 2018 at the Drass War Memorial in Kargil town
in Jammu and Kashmir.
iv. Day 1: tributes were paid to martyrs by laying wreath at the memorial.Day 2: veterans of the war
and serving heroes shared their experiences during Kargil war at an event.Day 3: main function of the
wreath-laying ceremony was held.
v. Also, a Bike rally was conducted by the Jungle War college in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.
World Hepatitis Day 2018 – July 28

On 28th July 2018, World Hepatitis Day 2018 was observed all over the world.
i. 28 July is observed as World Hepatitis Day every year. This day was chosen as it is the birthday of
scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV).
ii. He also developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus. World Hepatitis Day, aims to enhance
the national and international efforts on prevention and treatment of hepatitis.
iii. WHO (World Health Organisation) has declared theme for World Hepatitis Day 2018 as: “Test.
Treat. Hepatitis”.
iv. WHO and Government of Mongolia conducted several events in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to
commemorate the World Hepatitis Day 2018.
v. On 28th July 2018, National Viral Hepatitis Control Program was launched in New Delhi on the
occasion of World Hepatitis Day.
vi. Health Minister JP Nadda said that, the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program will provide
laboratory testing and management of viral Hepatitis.
vii. This will be decentralized and extended to Health and Wellness Centres in a phased manner.
viii. Also, a commemorative stamp for the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program was launched to
create awareness on this issue.
8th International Tiger day celebrated on July 29, 2018

July 29 is celebrated as International tiger day or Global Tiger day.With an Objective to raise
awareness for tiger conservation.
172 | P a g e
i.It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit where leaders of 13 tiger range
countries resolved to double its number in the wild by 2022. The slogan was ‘T X 2’.
ii. India conducts a census to assess tiger population every four years. The cycles of the estimation
have already been completed in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
iii. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers, which increased to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014.
iv. Only 3,890 tigers are left in the world, out of which 2,226 are in India.
v. To commemorate this day, walls of Amravati railway station are being covered with wildlife
paintings, to create awareness about the importance of protection of tigers.
vi. A new initiative to make people earn livelihood has been started by Melghat Tiger Reserve in 8
villages near Dhyanaganga Sanctuary in Buldana district.
vii. According to the tiger census, carried out in 2017, Melghat has 41 adult tigers and 18 cubs.
viii. It is under The Project Tiger which now says that India has more than 50 reserves.
World Day against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July

On 30th July 2018, World Day against Trafficking in Persons was observed all over the world.
i. When: In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly declared July 30 as the World Day against
Trafficking in Persons.
ii. Why: this day is observed to create awareness about the condition of victims of human trafficking
and for promotion and protection of their rights.
iii. Theme: ‘Responding to the trafficking of children and young people’ has been declared as theme
for World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2018 by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
iv. This theme focuses on issues faced by trafficked children and action required to protect and
provide justice for child victims.
International Day of Friendship – July 30

On 30th July 2018, International Day of Friendship was celebrated all over the world.
i. In 2011, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Friendship. This day is
celebrated on 30th July of every year.
ii. This day is based on the idea that friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals
can bring peace and bridge communities.
iii. This day also recognizes the importance of friendship as a noble and valuable sentiment in the
lives of human beings.
World Ranger day – July 31

On 31st July 2018, World Ranger Day was celebrated all over the world.
i. The World Ranger Day was initiated by International Ranger Federation (IRF). It is jointly promoted
by The Thin Green Foundation, the charity arm of IRF.
ii. Ranger Day was first celebrated in 2007 on the anniversary of IRF’s foundation day.
iii. This day is celebrated to honour Rangers killed or injured during duty. It also honours the work of
Rangers in safeguarding earth’s natural treasures and cultural heritage.
About International Ranger Federation (IRF):
♦ President – Seen Willmore
173 | P a g e
STATIC INFORMATION FROM CURRENT AFFAIRS

Indian States
Jammu & Kashmir:
♦ Governor: Narinder Nath Vohra.
Odisha:
♦ Capital: Bhubaneswar.
♦ Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik.
♦ Governor: Ganeshi Lal.
Goa:
♦ Chief Minister: Manohar Parrikar.
♦ Governor: Smt.Mridula Sinha.
♦ Waterfalls: Dudhsagar, Sada Waterfall, Netravali, Harvalem, Kalsa Waterfall.
Telangana :
♦ Capital: Hyderabad.
♦ Chief Minister: K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
♦ Governor: E.S.L. Narasimhan.
Uttar Pradesh:
♦ Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath.
♦ Governor: Ram Naik.
Madhya Pradesh:
♦ Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
♦ Governor: Anandiben Patel.
Haryana:
♦ Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar.
♦ Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki.
Bihar:
♦ Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar.
♦ Governor: Satya Pal Malik.
♦ National Park: Valmiki Tiger Reserve
Haryana:
♦ Capital: Chandigarh.
♦ Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar.
♦ Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Gujarat:
♦ Capital: Gandhinagar
174 | P a g e
♦ Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani

♦ Governor: Om Prakash Kohli
Chhattisgarh:
♦ Chief Minister: Raman Singh.
♦ Governor: Balram Das Tandon.
Assam:
♦ Capital: Dispur.
♦ Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal.
♦ Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.
Meghalaya:
♦ Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma.
♦ Governor: Ganga Prasad.
Madhya Pradesh:
♦ Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
♦ Governor: Anandiben Patel
♦ Capital: Bhopal, Judiciary Capital: Jabalpur.
Maharastra:
♦ Capital: Mumbai.
♦ Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis.
♦ Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao.
Rajasthan:
♦ Chief Minister: Vasundhara Raje.
♦ Governor: Kalyan Singh.
About Andhra Pradesh:
♦ Chief Minister: N Chandrababu Naidu.
♦ Governor: E.S.L Narasimhan.
West Bengal:
♦ Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee.
♦ Governor: Keshari Nath Tripathy.
Himachal Pradesh:
♦ Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur.
♦ Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat.
Nick Names
Nicknames of some Indian cities:
♦ Mundi (Madhya Pradesh) – Power Hub City
♦ Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) – City of Rivers
♦ Panipat (Haryana) – City of Weavers, Eco-City
♦ New York City- The Big Apple
♦Los Angeles-City of Angels
♦Chicago-The Windy City
♦Las Vegas-Sin City
♦Balangir-Cloth city of Odisha
♦Berhampur-The Textile City
♦Bhubaneswar-The Temple City
♦Cuttack-The silver city of India
♦Bhubaneswar and Cuttack-Twin Cities
♦Rourkela-Steel City of Odisha
♦Hyderabad-City of Biriyani, City of Pearls.
♦Nalgonda-City of Rocks.
♦Lucknow-City of Nawabs, City of Gardens.
♦Kanpur-Land of Ganga, Manchester of the East
175 | P a g e
♦Varanasi-The City of Ghats

♦Allahabad-Sangam City, City of Prime Ministers, Abode of Gods, King of Pilgrims.
♦Bhagalpur-Silk city of India
♦Muzaffarpur-The Land of the Leechi
♦Nalanda-Land of Knowledge
♦Gurugram-Millennium city of India.
♦Bhiwani-Mini cuba
♦ New Delhi- City of Rallies.
♦ Bengaluru- Electronic City of India , Garden City of India, Silicon Valley of India, Pensioners
Paradise,Space City, Science city of India, IT Capital of India.
♦ Udaipur- City of Lakes, Venice of the East.
Banks
About Bank of Maharashtra (BoM):
♦ Headquarters – Pune
About United India Insurance Company:
♦ Head Office – Chennai
♦ Formed – 1938
About World Bank:
♦ President – Jim Yong Kim
♦ Headquarters – Washington, D.C., U.S.
About ICICI Bank:
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
Bank Of Baroda:
♦ Headquarters: Vadodara
♦ Chairman: Ravi Venkatesan.
♦ CEO: P.S. Jayakumar.
SBI:
♦ Tagline: The Banker to Every Indian.
♦ Chairman: Rajnish Kumar.
Indian Bank:
♦ Tagline: Your Own Bank.
♦ Headquarters: Chennai.
♦ Chairman: T C Venkat Subramanian.
♦ CEO: Kishor Kharat.
Yes Bank:
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai
♦ Chairman: Ashok Chawla.
♦ CEO: Rana Kapoor.
About United Bank of India:
♦ MD & CEO – Pawan Kumar Bajaj
♦ Headquarters – Kolkata
About European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD):
♦ Set up – 1991
♦ Headquarters – London
♦ President – Suma Chakrabarti
About IDBI Bank:
♦ MD and CEO – Mr. B. Sriram
176 | P a g e
About Airtel Payments Bank:

♦ MD and CEO – Anubrata Biswas
♦ Founded – 2016.
YES Bank:
MD&CEO: Rana Kapoor.
Headquarters: Mumbai.
Jana Small Finance Bank:
♦ CEO: Ajay Kanwal
♦ Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
RBI:
♦ 24th Governor: Dr.Urjit Patel.
♦ Recommended by Hilton Young Commission in 1926.
♦ Commenced operations in 1935.
♦ Nationalised: 1949.
About Federal Bank:
♦ Headquarters – Kochi
♦ CEO and MD – Shyam Srinivasan.
Taglines
Tag lines of some banks:
♦ Bank of Baroda – India’s International Bank
♦ Bank of India – Relationships beyond Banking
♦ Bank of Maharashtra – One Family One Bank.
♦ Allahabad Bank – A tradition of trust
♦ Andhra Bank – Where India Banks
♦ Indian Bank – Your Tech-friendly bank
♦ Indian Overseas Bank – Good people to grow with
♦ IDBI Bank – Banking For All, Bank Aisa Dost Jaisa
♦ South Indian Bank – Experience Next Generation Banking
♦ Syndicate Bank – Faithful. Friendly
♦ UCO Bank – Honors Your Trust
♦ Dhanlaxmi Bank – Tann. Mann. Dhan
♦ Dena Bank – Trusted Family Bank
♦ Deutsche Bank – A Passion to perform
♦ Union Bank of India – Good people to bank with
♦ United Bank of India – The Bank that begins with “U”
♦ Vijaya Bank – A Friend You Can Bank On
Stadium’s
Some important stadiums in India:
♦ HPCA Cricket Stadium – Dharamshala
♦ Indira Gandhi Stadium – Una
♦ Dhyan Chand National Stadium – Delhi
♦ Ambedkar Stadium – Delhi
♦ Chhatrasal Stadium – Delhi
♦ JSCA International Cricket Stadium – Ranchi, Jharkhand
♦ Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium – Ranchi, Jharkhand
♦ JRD Tata Sports Complex – Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
♦ Moin-ul-Haq Stadium – Patna, Bihar
♦ Patliputra Sports Complex – Patna, Bihar
♦ Rajendra Stadium – Siwan, Bihar
177 | P a g e
♦ EMS Stadium – Kozhikode , Kerala

♦ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – Kochi, Kerala
♦ Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium – Kollam, Kerala
♦ HPCA Cricket Stadium – Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
♦ Indira Gandhi Stadium – Una, Himachal Pradesh
♦ Fatorda Stadium – Goa
♦ Tilak Maidan Stadium – Goa
♦ Duler Stadium – Goa
♦ Moti Bagh Stadium – Baroda, Gujarat
♦ IPCL Sports Complex Ground – Baroda, Gujarat
♦ Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground – Rajkot, Gujarat.
♦ Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium – Chhattisgarh
♦ International Hockey Stadium – Chhattisgarh.
♦ Fatorda Stadium – Margao, Goa
♦ Tilak Maidan Stadium – Vasco da Gama, Goa
♦ Duler Stadium – Mapusa, Goa
♦ Mahabir Stadium – Hisar, Haryana
♦ Tau Devi Lal Stadium – Gurgaon, Haryana
♦ Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium – Rohtak, Haryana
♦ Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium – Guwahati, Assam
♦ Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium – Guwahati, Assam
♦ Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium – Silchar, Assam.
♦ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – Delhi
♦ Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium – Delhi
♦ Dhyan Chand National Stadium – Delhi
Dam’s
Some important dams in India:
♦ Idamalayar (Eb) Dam – Idamalayar River
♦ Supa Dam – Kali Nadi River
♦ Kulamavu (Eb) Dam – Kilivillithode River
♦ Bhakra Dam – Satluj River
♦ Lakhwar Dam – Yamuna River
♦ Pakal Dul Dam – Marusudar River
♦ Idukki Dam – Periyar River
♦ Ranjit Sagar Dam – Ravi River
♦ Indira Sagar (NHDC) Dam – Narmada River
♦ Sardar Sarover Gujarat Dam – Narmada River.
♦ Baglihar Dam – Chenab River
♦ Chemera I Dam – Ravi River
♦ Warna Dam – Varna River
♦ Bhatsa Dam – Bhatsa and chorna River
♦ Pillur Dam – Bhavani River
♦ Srisailam (N.S.R.S.P) Dam – Krishna River
♦ Parbati II Dam – Parbati River
♦ Chakra Dam – Chakra River
♦ Bandardhara Dam – Paravara River.
♦ Karjan Dam – Karjan River
♦ Kulamavu (Eb) Dam – Kilivillithode River
♦ Koteshwar Dam – Bhagirathi River.
178 | P a g e
Lakes
Some important lakes in India:
♦ Sursagar Lake – Gujarat
♦ Thol Lake – Gujarat
♦ Vastrapur Lake – Gujarat
♦ Agara Lake – Karnataka
♦ Bellandur Lake – Karnataka
♦ Byrasandra Lake – Karnataka
♦ Kukkarahalli lake – Karnataka
♦ Lingambudhi Lake – Karnataka
♦ Honnamana Kere – Karnataka
♦ Hebbal Lake – Karnataka
♦ Kempambudhi Lake – Karnataka
♦ Lalbagh Lake – Karnataka
♦ Renuka Lake – Himachal Pradesh
♦ Rewalsar Lake – Himachal Pradesh
♦ Seruvalsar and Manimahesh Lake – Himachal Pradesh.
♦ Moti Lake – Madhya Pradesh
♦ Sarang Pani Lake – Madhya Pradesh
♦ Shahpura Lake – Madhya Pradesh
♦ Hamirsar Lake – Gujarat
♦ Kankaria Lake – Gujarat
♦ Lakhota Lake – Gujarat
♦ Khajjiar Lake – Himachal Pradesh
♦ Macchial Lake – Himachal Pradesh
♦ Manimahesh Lake – Himachal Pradesh
♦ Largest saline water lake in India – Chilika Lake, Odisha
♦ Longest lake in India – Vembanad Lake, Kerala
♦ Highest Lake in India – Cholamu Lake, Sikkim.
♦ Dal Lake – Jammu and Kashmir
♦ Manasbal Lake – Jammu and Kashmir
♦ Mansar Lake – Jammu and Kashmir
♦ Largest fresh water lakes in Asia & India – Wular Lake, Kashmir
♦ Largest artificial lake in Asia – Upper Lake, Madhya Pradesh
♦ Largest saline water lake in India – Chilika Lake, Odisha
Temple’s
Some important temples in India:
♦ Meenakshi Temple – Madurai, Tamil Nadu
♦ Mahakaleshwar Temple – Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
♦ Bhimashankar Temple – Pune, Maharashtra
♦ Jagannath Temple – Puri, Odisha
♦ Iskcon Temple – Bengaluru, Karnataka
♦ Shani Shingnapur Nevasa – Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
♦ Kamakhya Temple – Guwahati, Assam
♦ Bhimashankar Temple – Pune, Maharashtra.
♦ Kashi Vishwanath Temple – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
♦ Vaishno Devi Temple – Katra, Jammu & Kashmir
♦ Golden Temple – Amritsar, Punjab
♦ Tirupati Balaji (Tirumala Venkateswara Temple) – Chittor, Andhra Pradesh.
179 | P a g e
♦ Padmanabhaswamy Temple – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

♦ Kashi Vishwanath Temple – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
♦ Kedarnath Temple – Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Airport’s
Some important international airports in India:
♦ Calicut International Airport – Kozhikode, Kerala
♦ Trivandrum International Airport – Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
♦ Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport – Indore, Madhya Pradesh
♦ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
♦ Dholera International Airport – Dholera , Gujarat
♦ Srinagar Airport – Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
♦ Veer Savarkar International Airport – Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
♦ Visakhapatnam International Airport – Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
♦ Tirupathi Airport – Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh.
♦ Imphal International Airport – Imphal, Manipur
♦ Biju Patnaik International Airport – Bhubaneswar, Odisha
♦ Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport – Amritsar, Punjab.
♦ Anna International Airport – Chennai
♦ Rajiv Gandhi International Airport – Hyderabad
♦ Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport – Lucknow
♦ Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport – Patna, Bihar
♦ Indira Gandhi International Airport – New Delhi, Delhi
♦ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport – Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Seaports
Some important sea ports in India:
♦ Kandla Port – Gujarat
♦ Paradip Port – Odisha
♦ Haldia port – West Bengal
♦ Panambur Port – Karnataka
♦ Marmagao port- Goa
♦ Panambur Port- Karnataka
National Parks
Some National Parks in Assam:
♦ Manas National Park
♦ Orang National Park
♦ Nameri National Park
National Parks in Bihar:
♦Valmiki National Park
♦ Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary.
Some national parks in Madhya Pradesh:
♦ Bandhavgarh National Park
♦ Ghughua Fossil Park
♦ Madhav National Park
Jammu & Kashmir:
♦ National Parks: Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park, Dachigam National Park, Salim Ali
National Park.
180 | P a g e
♦ National Park: Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park, Kasu Brahmananda National Park,
Mrugavani National Park, Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary.
Some National Parks in Rajasthan:
♦ Ranthambore National Park
♦ Desert National Park
♦ Darrah National Park
Some National Parks in Uttarakhand:
♦ Nanda Devi National Park
♦ Rajaji National Park
♦ Valley of Flowers National Park
Some National Parks in Kerala:
♦ Silent Valley National Park
♦ Anamudi Shola National Park
♦ Eravikulam National Park
Some National Parks in West Bengal:
♦ Neora Valley National Park
♦ Singalila National Park
♦ Sundarbans National Park.
Some important National Parks in Telangana:
♦ Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park
♦ Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park
♦ Mrugavani National Park
Some national parks in Rajasthan:
♦ Darrah National Park
♦ Desert National Park
♦ Ranthambore National Park
Some National parks in Tripura:
♦ Clouded Leopard National Park
♦ Rajbari National Park
Some National Parks in Manipur:
♦ Sirohi National Park
♦ Keibul Lamjao National Park
Some important National Parks in Karnataka:
♦ Nagarhole National Park
♦ Dandeli National Park
♦ Bannerghatta National Park
Bird Sanctuaries
Some important bird sanctuaries in India:
♦ Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary – Gujarat
♦ Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary – Gujarat
♦ Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary – Gujarat
♦ Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary – Kerala
♦ Pathiramanal Kerala – Kerala
♦ Pakshipathalam Bird Sanctuary – Kerala.
♦ Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary – Kerala
♦ Thattekad Bird Sanctuary – Kerala
♦ Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary – West Bengal
♦ Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary – West Bengal.
♦ Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
♦ Vellode Birds Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
♦ Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary – Tamil Nadu
181 | P a g e
♦ Bordoibam Beelmukh Birds’ Sanctuary – Assam

♦ Deepor beel bird sanctuary – Assam
♦ Panidihing bird sanctuary – Assam.
♦ Nagi Dam Bird Sanctuary – Bihar
♦ Nakti Dam Bird Sanctuary – Bihar
♦ Bhimband Wildlife Sanctuary – Bihar.
♦ Atapaka Bird Sanctuary- Andhra Pradesh
♦ Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary- Andhra Pradesh
♦ Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary- Andhra Pradesh
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Some Wildlife sanctuaries in Jharkhand:
♦ Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Gautam Budha Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh:
♦ Bakhira Sanctuary
♦ Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka:
♦ Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Uttar Pradesh:
♦ Sohagi Barwa Sanctuary
♦ Suhelva Sanctuary
♦ Vijai Sagar Sanctuary
Some important wildlife sanctuaries in Andhra Pradesh:
♦ Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Telangana:
♦ Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha:
♦ Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Balimela Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Haryana:
♦ Bir Bara Ban Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Abubshahar Wildlife Sanctuary
Some wildlife sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu:
♦ Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary
♦ Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.
UNESCO Heritage
UNESCO Heritage site in Bihar:
Nalanda University, Bodh Gaya.
182 | P a g e
UNESCO Heritage Sites in Rajasthan:

Keoladeo National Park, Chittorgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Ranthambore Fort, Gagron Fort, Amer
Fort, Jantar Mantar, Jaisalmer Fort.
Some UNESCO cultural Heritage Sites in India:
♦ Churches and Convents of Goa – Goa
♦ Elephanta Caves – Maharashtra
♦ Ellora Cave – Maharashtra
Delhi:
♦ Unesco Heritage site: Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar.
Gujarat:
Unesco Heritage Sites: Champaner-Pavagadh Archeological Park, Rani ki Vav, Historic City of
Ahmedabad.
UNESCO Heritage Site in Gujarat:
Rani ki vav, Historic City of Ahmedabad, Champaner-Pavagarh Archeological Park.
Some important UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites in India:
♦ Kaziranga National Park – Assam
♦ Keoladeo National Park – Rajasthan
♦ Manas Wildlife Sanctuary – Assam
Museums
Some important museums in India:
♦ Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Museum – Darbhanga, Bihar
♦ Chandra Shekhar Singh Museum – Jamui, Bihar
♦ Srikrishna Science Centre – Patna, Bihar.
♦ Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum – Vadodara, Gujarat
♦ Sabarmati Ashram – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
♦ Sanskar Kendra – Ahmedabad, Gujarat
♦ Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh Museum – Darbhanga, Bihar
♦ Chandra Shekhar Singh Museum – Jamui, Bihar
♦ Srikrishna Science Centre – Patna, Bihar.
♦ Parliament Museum – New Delhi
♦ Teen Murti Bhavan – New Delhi
♦ Sanskriti Kendra Museum – Delhi
♦ Shankar’s International Dolls Museum – Delhi.
♦ Kaba Gandhi No Delo – Rajkot, Gujarat
♦ Kirti Mandir – Porbandar, Gujarat
♦ Kutch Museum – Bhuj, Gujarat
Indian Entities
Bharti Airtel:
♦ CEO: Gopal Vittal.
♦ Headquaters: New Delhi.
About Indian School Finance (ISFC):
♦ Type – Non-Banking Finance Company
♦ Established – 2008
IDEA Cellular:
♦ CEO: Himanshu Kapania.
About Department of Telecommunications (DoT):
♦ Chairman of Telecom Commission and Telecom Secretary – Aruna Sundararajan
183 | P a g e
About SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited):

♦ Status – Maharatna Company
♦ Corporate Office – New Delhi
About Ordnance Factory Board:
♦ Formed – 1979
♦ Headquarters – Kolkata.
About Muthoot Pappachan Group:
♦ CMD – Thomas John Muthoot
♦ Registered Office – Trivandrum, Kerala
About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):
♦ CEO – Rahul Johri
About Indian Olympic Association (IOA):
♦ President – Mr. Narinder Dhruv Batra
TATA AIA:
♦ Founded: 2000.
About All India Football Federation (AIFF):
♦ President – Praful M Patel
About Ministry of Defence:
♦ Minister of Defence – Nirmala Sitharaman
♦ Minister of State for Defence – Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre
About ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited):
♦ Chairman & Managing Director – Shashi Shanker
♦ Registered Office – New Delhi
About HDFC Securites:
♦ It is a subsidiary of HDFC Bank. It is one of the leading stock broking companies in India.
♦ Founded: 2000.
♦ CEO: Dhiraj Relli.
About Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd.:
♦ It is India’s largest tractor financer.
♦ Parent organization: Mahindra Group.
♦ CEO: Anand Mahindra.
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
♦ Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Paytm:
♦ Founded: 2010.
♦ Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
♦ Parent Company: One97 Communiations.
♦ Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
♦ Paytm offers mobile payments to over 300 million customers and 8 million merchants in India.
About BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited):
♦ Chairman & Managing Director and Director – Anupam Shrivastava
♦ Corporate and Registered Office – New Delhi
About Indian Navy:
♦ Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Sunil Lanba
184 | P a g e
About The Engine Factory:

Established: 1987.
Chief of Army Staff: Gn. Bipin Rawat.
About Indian Medical Association (IMA):
♦ National President – Dr Ravi Wankhedkar
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi.
About Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs (CBIC):
♦ Chairman – S. Ramesh
IRDAI:
♦ Headquarters: Hyderabad.
♦ Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia.
♦ Founded: 1999.
About ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation):
♦ Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
♦ Chairman – Dr. K. Sivan
About Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS):
♦ Head Office – New Delhi
♦ Chairman-cum-Managing Director – R.K. Gupta
About Indian Army:
♦ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – General Bipin Rawat
About Public Affairs Centre (PAC):
♦ Founded by – late Samuel Paul (renowned Indian economist and scholar)
♦ Based in – Bengaluru
♦ Chairman – K Kasturirangan.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
♦ Chairman – Sanjay Mitra
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE):
i. It is Asia’s first stock exchange.
ii. Founded : 9 July 1875.
iii. The BSE is the world’s 10th largest stock exchange with an overall market capitalization of more
than $2.3 trillion on as of April 2018.
Bombay Metal Exchange (BME):
♦ BOMBAY METAL EXCHANGE LTD., an Apex Body of Non-ferrous Metals Trade & Industry has been
functioning incessantly for the promotion of the nonferrous metals trade for the last 5 decades.
♦ President: Rikab V.Mehta.
NSE :
♦ Founded: 1992.
♦ CEO: Vikram Limaye.
♦ Market cap: US $2.27trillion.
About IIPE:
♦ Established : 2016
♦ Under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
♦ Founded in: Andhra Pradesh
♦ Purpose: It offers undergraduate degrees in petroleum and chemical engineering and energy fields.
About Oxigen:
♦ Founded: 2004.
♦ Headquarters: Gurugram.
185 | P a g e
♦ Oxigen has a retail network of 1, 00,000 outlets, with 35000 of them conducting branchless banking.
About Fincare Small Finance Bank:
♦ Formed From: Disha Microfin Limited
♦ Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
♦ It commenced operations in July 2017, following the approval by the RBI to 10 entities in September
2015.
BEML:
Headquarters: Bengaluru.
Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC):
Headquarters: Ranchi, Jharkhand.
About Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL):
♦ Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) – Suvarna Raju
♦ Corporate Office – Bengaluru
About Badminton Association of India:
♦ President – Himanta Biswa Sarma
About NDTL (National Dope Testing Laboratory):
♦ CEO – Rahul Bhatnagar
About Wrestling Federation of India (WFI):
♦ President – Brijbhushan Sharan Singh
♦ Location – New Delhi.
About Indian Weightlifting Federation:
♦ Secretary General – Sahdev Yadav
About Hockey India:
♦ President – Rajinder Singh
About Boxing Federation of India (BFI):
♦ President – Ajay Singh
♦ Location – Gurgaon.
About Badminton Association of India:
♦ President – Himanta Biswa Sarma
About Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D):
♦ Director General – Dr. A.P. Maheshwari
About Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC):
♦ Chairman: S Ramesh
♦ Headquarters: Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.
♦ Subsidiary: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
About National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM):
♦ Headquarters: Noida.
♦ Chairperson: Rishad Premji.
♦ Founded: 1988.
♦ Members: 2300+.
About Archeological Survey Of India:
♦ Founded: 1861.
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi.
♦ Under : Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
186 | P a g e
Foreign Entities
Vodafone:
♦ Headquarters: London, UK.
♦ CEO: Vittorio Colao.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
♦ Chairman – Shashank Manohar
♦ CEO – David Richardson
♦ Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
About Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF):
♦ President – Dr Louise Martin CBE
♦ Location – London, UK.
About Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC):
♦ Group Chief Executive – John M Flint
♦ Headquarters – London, United Kingdom
Fortune Magazine:
♦ Company: Meredith Corporation.
♦ Based in: New York.
About IFC:
♦ Headquarters: Washington D.C., US.
♦ Founded: 20 July 1956.
♦ Member Countries: 184 countries
♦ CEO: Philippe Le Houerou.
OECD:
♦ Secretary General: Jose Angel Gurria.
♦ Founded : 30 September 1961.
♦ Members: 36.
Facebook:
♦ Headquarters: California, USA.
♦ CEO: Mark Zuckerberg.
♦ Founded: 2004.
About International Sports and Press Association (AIPS):
♦ Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
♦ President – Gianni Merlo
About World Health Organization (WHO):
♦ Director-General – Tedros Adhanom
♦ Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
About International Labour Organization (ILO):
♦ Director-General – Guy Ryder
♦ Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
♦ Headquarters – Vienna, Austria
♦ Executive Director – Yury Fedotov
Sightsavers:
♦ Headquarters: Melksham, UK.
♦ Founded: 1950.
♦ CEO: RN Mohanty.
About SES:
♦ Headquarters – Luxembourg
♦ Primary customer in India – Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO)
187 | P a g e
About US Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

♦ Commissioner – Scott Gottlieb
♦ Headquarters – Maryland, United States.
About NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration):
♦ Administrator – Jim Bridenstine
♦ Headquarters – Washington, D.C., U.S.
About China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation:
♦ Chairman – Wu Yansheng
♦ Location – Beijing, China
SpaceX:
♦ Headquarters: California , USA.
♦ CEO: Elon Musk.
European Space Agency:
♦ Founded: 30th May 1975.
♦ Member states: 22.
About IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations):
♦ Sebastian Coe
♦ Headquarters – Monaco
About United World Wrestling (UWW):
Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.
Chairman: Nenad Lalovic.
Founded: 1912.
Membership : 176 countries.
International Union of Geological Science (IUGS):
♦ Headquarters: Beijing, China.
♦ Founded: 1961 in Paris, France.
♦ Parent Organization: International Council for Sciences.
Other Countries
Mexico :
♦ Capital: Mexico City.
♦ Currency: Peso
Pakistan:
♦ Capital: Islamabad.
♦ Currency: Pakistani Rupee.
♦ President: Mamsoon Hussain.
USA:
♦ Capital: Washington D.C.
♦ Currency: United States Dollar.
Bangladesh:
♦ Capital: Dhaka.
♦ Currency: Bangladeshi Taka.
♦ Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina.
♦ President: Abdul Hamid.
♦ Military Exercise with India: SAMPRITI.
UN:
♦ Member countries: 193.
♦ Headquarters: New York , USA.
♦ Secretary- General: Antonio Guterres.
Sri Lanka:
♦ Capital: Colombo and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
188 | P a g e
♦ Prime Minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe.

♦ President: Maithripala Sirisena.
♦ Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee.
About Sierra Leone:
♦ Capital – Freetown
♦ Official language – English
♦ President – Julius Maada Bio
♦ Currency – Leone.
Vietnam:
♦ Prime Minister: Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
♦ Currency: Vietnamese Dong.
♦ Capital: Hanoi.
♦ India granted “Most Favoured Nation” status to Vietnam in 1975.
South Korea:
♦ Capital: Seoul.
♦ Currency: South Korean Won.
Bahrain:
♦ Capital: Manama.
♦ Currency: Bahraini Dinar.
♦ Prime Minister: Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
♦ President: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Bangladesh:
♦ Capital: Dhaka.
♦ Currency: Bangladeshi Taka.
♦ Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina.
♦ President: Abdul Hamid.
♦ Military Exercise with India: SAMPRITI.
Rwanda:
Capital: Kigali.
Currency: Rwandan franc.
President: Paul Kagame.
Uganda:
Capital: Kampala.
Currency: Ugandan Shilling.
President: Yoweri Museveni.
South Africa:
Capital: Cape town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein.
Currency: South African rand.
President: Cyril Ramaphosa.
Banking Terminologies
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• micro small and medium enterprises (MSME).
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China(ICBC)
• SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA).
• Electronic Live Assistant (ELA)
• Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
• Public provident funds (PPF)
• National Savings Certificates (NSC)
189 | P a g e
• Senior Citizen Savings Schemes (SCSS)

• Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)
• Yes Asset Management (India) Limited (YAMIL)
• gross domestic product (GDP)
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
• Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India.
• marginal cost of funds based lending rates (MCLR)
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC)
• Collaboration as a Service (CaaS)
• World Economic Outlook (WEO)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)
• inter-creditor agreement (ICA)
• financial institutions (FIs)
• Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Other Terminologies
• Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
• Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC)
• Saudi Organisation for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA)
• Small and Medium Sized Practices (SMPs)
• National Scholarship Portal (NSP)
• Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP)
• Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
• Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF)
• Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
• Model Code of Conduct (MCC)
• Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS)
• Bhaskarcharya Institute of Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG).
• State Health Agencies (SHA)
• National Health Agency (NHA)
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
• Limited Height Subways (LHS)
• auxiliary mid wives (ANMs)
• primary health centre (PHC)
• community health centre (CHC)
• India Smart Cities Internship (ISCI)
• Local Area Plan (LAP)
• Town Planning Scheme (TPS)
• Telangana State Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC)
• Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI)
• India Meteorological Department (IMD)
• SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting)
• Regional Rail Training Institute (RRTI)
• Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
• Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP)
190 | P a g e
• National Skill Training Institute (NSTI)

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK)
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
• National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
• Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP)
• Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
• National Handicapped Finance & Development Corporation (NHFDC).
• Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC)
• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
• Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET)
• International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST)
• Indian National Science Academy (INSA)
• National Security Guard (NSG)
• Shipping Corporation of India(SCI)
• Civil Aviation Research Organization (CARO)
• Air Navigation Systems (ANS)
• University Grants Commission (UGC)
• Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA)
Download Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader for Mobile APP
Good Luck with Your Exams!!!

Suggestions are welcomed; Contact us any time at
affairscloud@gmail.com
191 | P a g e

Commonwealth Games 2018 - Overview by AffairsClou

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Commonwealth Games 2018 - Overview by AffairsClou

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Current Affairs Study PDF

Current Affairs July 2018

CCent Affairs for Competitive Exam

CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR COMPETITIVE EXAM

Download Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader for Mobile APP

AffairsCloud Recommends Oliveboard Mock Test

SBI PO 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free

SBI Clerk 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free

IBPS RRB 2018: Take 40 Tests, 1 Free

RBI Grade B 2018: Take 30 Tests, 1 Free

Railways RRB Group D 2018: 1 Free Test

SSC CGL 2018: 50 Tests (30 Tier I + 20 Tier II)

Cabinet Approvals on July 18

Cabinet Approvals with Foreign Countries on July 18, 2018

iii. The objective of the scheme is to reduce electricity losses.

Launches & Inaugurations

Jodhpur Institute of Hospitality Management inaugurated by Tourism Minister Shri K.J.

Aadhar enabled e-PAN card service launched by Income Tax Department

‘POSHAN ABHIYAN’: special drive against malnutrition launched by Gujarat CM

elections in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan.

Process to empanel hospitals under Ayushman Bharat launched by National Health

Diarrhoea control campaign to be launched on July 15 to 30,2018 by Haryana Health Dept.

AffairsCloud Recommends Oliveboard Mock Test

SBI PO 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free

SBI Clerk 2018: Take 30 Tests. 1 Free

IBPS RRB 2018: Take 40 Tests, 1 Free

RBI Grade B 2018: Take 30 Tests, 1 Free

Railways RRB Group D 2018: 1 Free Test

SSC CGL 2018: 50 Tests (30 Tier I + 20 Tier II)

Gorakhpur launches ‘Stop JE/AES’ mobile app to check encephalitis

 MoHUA will engage students pursuing Under Graduate/Graduate/Post Graduate degree as

First-ever metal craft exhibition inaugurated in Leh

PM inaugurates ‘Dharohar Bhawan’ the new Headquarters of Archaeological Survey of India in

and its past, etc. are also present.

First phase of Anna Canteens launched in Andhra Pradesh by CM N Chandrababu Naidu

Botanical garden in Kothaguda reserve forest inaugurated in Telangana

Railways launched its first consolidated Bridge Management System

Multimedia exhibition organised by Regional Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information

69th Van Mahotsava inaugurated by Himachal Pradesh Governor

OPPI launched ThinkforHealth digital campaign in collaboration with Government of

Goa CM inaugurates Goa IT Day celebrations

‘I am not afraid of English’ campaign launched in schools by Haryana Education Department

Haryana government launched ‘Paudhagiri’ campaign to increase green cover

Development, Infrastructure, Industrial Development and the Services sector.

Regional Rail Training Institute inaugurated at Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh

abandoned, kidnapped and trafficked children via Railways.

‘Bijli Mitra’ Mobile app for replacement of transformers in Rajasthan

Odisha CM launches ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’

Odisha CM inaugurated Rs 300 crore Rukura irrigation dam project in Sundargarh

Andhra CM lays foundation stone of Amaravati International Sports Complex in Vijayawada;

“Mission Satyanishtha” a Program on Ethics in Public Governance launched by Ministry of

PRANAM Act : Country’s first of a kind act launched by Assam Government

Gujarat government announces ‘Urban Sanitation and Cleanliness Policy’

E-Aksharayan a desktop software to enable editing of text printed on scanned documents

World famous Rath Yatra being celebrated in Puri, Odisha

The first international festival of Mizoram-Mizo Hnahthlak celebrated in Aizawl, Mizoram

Other News Related to Indian Affairs

Telangana CM lays foundation stone for Rs 554-crore Gattu irrigation project

“National Workshop on Skill Development for PwDs” to be organized by Department of

Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 notified by the government

Country’s first Khadi mall to come up in Jharkhand

Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission in the state from August 15,2018.

Country’s first e-waste recycling unit to come up in Bengaluru