1) India celebrates National Doctor’s Day on 1st July
•The National Doctor’s Day is celebrated in India every year on 1st July. Indian Medical Association (IMA) celebrates the day every year to recognise the invaluable work done by doctors and physicians and thank them for their dedicated service. The theme for National Doctor’s Day 2020 is “Lessen the mortality of COVID 19” and includes awareness about asymptomatic hypoxia and early aggressive therapy.
•The National Doctor’s Day also marks the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was the one of the most renowned physician of India. He was also the second chief minister of West Bengal.
2) National Postal Worker Day: 1st July
•National Postal Worker Day is observed on 1st July every year. This day is celebrated to the recognition of postal workers across the world. National Postal Worker Day is a unique way to say ‘thank you’ to the postmen and all delivery personnel, as online shopping has become a lifeline for many of us.
•In India, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, postal services have uniquely diversified. Workers in postal departments have become the new ‘corona warriors’, playing an active role in India’s fight against COVID-19.
3) National Charted Accountants Day 2020
•National Charted Accountants Day or CA Day is celebrated on July 1 every year. This day is celebrated to commemorate the finding of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) by the parliament of India in 1949. Every year on the day of the establishment of the ICAI, CA Day is celebrated to honour the Chartered Accountant.
4) MP Govt launches ‘Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya’ campaign
•Madhya Pradesh government has launched “Hamara Ghar-Hamara Vidyalaya” over a virtual platform to take care of academic regularity of the students during the Lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme will start on 6th July 2020.
5) GoI, Govt of TN & World Bank signs agreements for Housing projects
•Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank has signed an agreement for two projects of worth $250 million. These projects would be executed to help low-income groups in the state of Tamil Nadu get access to affordable housing. The two projects includes $50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project, and $200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Program. These projects will strengthen the Tamil Nadu’s housing sector policies, institutions, and regulations. The $200 million and $50 million loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will have a maturity of 20 years including a grace period of 3.5 years.
•The $200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Program will aid the government’s ongoing efforts to expand the affordable housing availability. This would be done by gradually switching the role of the government from being the main provider to an enabler. It also seeks to unlock regulatory barriers along with incentivizing private sector participation in affordable housing for low-income families.
•The $50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project will support innovations in housing finance. It will also strengthen housing sector institutions in the state. Newly established Tamil Nadu Shelter Fund (TNSF) will also be financed by this project by providing an equity contribution of $35 million. TNSF is an innovation in housing finance in India.
6) Karnataka government launches portal “Skill Connect Forum”
•Karnataka government has launched a portal called “Skill Connect Forum”. The portal seeks to connect job seekers with employers on a common platform. It also provides job seekers information on available jobs. Hence, the portal will bridge the gap between job seekers and the employers.
•Any individual can register on the “Skill Connect Forum” portal by uploading their details such as qualification, skill sets and other details. In the same manner, employers will also register on the portal which will match the requirement and availability. If a person is unemployed, he will be imparted a skill and then enabled to get a job.
7) India’s first Plasma Bank to be set up in Delhi
•The Delhi government will set up a first-of-its-kind ‘plasma bank’ in the country for treating COVID-19 patients. It will be set up at the Delhi government-run Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences and doctors or hospitals will have to approach it for plasma if a COVID-19 patient needs the same. The plasma bank will start its operation by 2nd July 2020.
8) Gudni Th. Johannesson re-elected as President of Iceland
•Gudni Th. Johannesson has been re-elected as the President of Iceland. He has won his second four-year term as the president of Iceland in the presidential elections held recently. He won the presidential elections with 92% of the popular vote which the second-largest win in Icelandic presidential elections. While his counterpart Gudmundur FranklÃn Jónsson was only able to win 6.5% of the votes.
•In Iceland, Presidents are elected via direct popular vote, while each presidential term is of four years. Gudni Th. Johannesson worked as a history professor at the University of Iceland before taking office as President of Iceland in year 2016.
9) GoI extends KK Venugopal’s term as Attorney General of India
•Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the extension of KK Venugopal’s term as the Attorney General of India. KK Venugopal’s term has been extended for a period of one year with effect from 1st July 2020. His first term as attorney general of India commenced in July 2017 when he succeeded Mukul Rohtagi after his resignation from the post.
•ACC has also approved the reappointment of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for a period of three years. ACC has also appointed Chetan Sharma as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) for Delhi High Court. ACC has also re-appointed the existing five Additional Solicitor General (ASG) for another period of 3 years in the Supreme Court.
10) 36th ASEAN Summit virtually held in Vietnam
•The 36th edition of the biannual ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit 2020 was held via video conferencing in Hanoi, Vietnam. The theme of the Summit was “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”.
•The main focus of the summit was on the COVID-19 epidemic response, post-pandemic recovery and further cooperation with partners. The 36th ASEAN summit was scheduled to be held in April 2020 in central Vietnam”s Da Nang, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
11) Former RBI Governor C Rangarajan conferred with 1st P C Mahalanobis Award
•Former Reserve Bank of India governor, Chakravarthi Rangarajan has been conferred with the first Prof. P C Mahalanobis Award in Official Statistics for lifetime achievements. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution in providing solutions in the issues related to the estimation of national income.
•The award has been instituted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) from 2020, and will henceforth be awarded annually for the outstanding and meritorious contribution of an individual for the development and promotion of official statistics.
