1) PM Modi to unveil Asia’s largest solar plant in MP
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil Asia’s largest 750 MW Rewa ultra mega solar plant in Madhya Pradesh via video conference on July 10. The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is established in the Rewa district of Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh, with a total solar installed capacity of 750 MW. It is one of the largest single-site solar power plants in Asia.
2) IARI Jharkhand’s building named after Late Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
•The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Jharkhand new administrative and the academic building have been named after Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder Late Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his 119th birth anniversary. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee dedicated his life to the unity and integrity of the country, gave the call for one nation-one law and sacrificed his life in Kashmir.
3) West Bengal Govt launches ‘Self Scan app’ to scan documents
•West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has launched a new mobile application called “SelfScan”. This New Application was developed by the state’s information technology department, to scan documents.
4) Sijo George appointed to Centre’s committee on STIP 2020
•Sijo Kuruvilla George has been appointed to the Central Government’s committee on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020). He is a founding CEO of Startup Village and founder of Re-think Foundation. With this, he has become the part of the eight-member panel which is led by Harkesh Mittal, who also heads the Department of Science and Technology.
•The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2020 (STIP 2020) was formulated by the Department of Science and Technology and Principal Scientific Advisor of the Union government. The committee is responsible for updating the existing 2013 policy with a thrust to be given to scientific innovations. It is the fifth science and technology policy in the country.
5) UKIBC appoints Jayant Krishna as Group CEO
•The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has appointed Jayant Krishna as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group. Jayant will replace the current Group CEO, Richard Heald. Prior to this, Jayant Krishna has served as the CEO of Prime Minister’s Skill India mission as well as the Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
•Jayant Krishna will be the first UKIBC Group CEO to be based in India. UKIBC supports the UK and the Indian Governments by offering the business voice in G2G deliberations to further the UK-India relationship.
6) GoI extends Bansi Lal Bhat’s tenure as chairperson of NCLAT
•The tenure of Justice Bansi Lal Bhat as the chairperson of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has been extended by the Government of India. His tenure has been extended for three months or till further orders. He is also holding the post of Member (Judicial) at the appellate tribunal.
•Justice Bansi Lal Bhat was appointed as the acting chairperson of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) for three months after the completion the then chairperson Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya completed his term.
7) India, Indonesia Coast Guards sign MoU to boost maritime relations
•The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Bakamla RI (Indonesian Coast Guard) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ‘Maritime Safety and Security’ to boost maritime relations. India and Indonesia are historically connected through the Indian Ocean and it has been the resolve of both nations to ensure safe and secure sea passage for all seafarers in the region.
•This MoU will strengthen cooperation by augmenting information exchange mechanisms. This real-time Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) will then be the foundation for controlling and responding to incidents of piracy, smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal migration and other such maritime crimes which will bring safety and security to the region and also result in protection of our precious marine environment. The MoU will also provide avenues to improve our interoperability and carry out joint search and rescue when required.
8) Microsoft partners NSDC to provide digital skills
•Microsoft has partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer digital skills to India’s youth in the next 12 months amid the COVID-19 crisis. Microsoft will provide free access to learning resources and conduct digital skilling awareness drives by collaborating with eSkill India portal of NSDC. This partnership will help in creating a digital skills ecosystem which will prepare India’s workforce for jobs of the future.
•As a part of the partnership, “Microsoft Learn” a learning resource center of Microsoft will be integrated with the eSkill India digital platform and offer access to personalized learning paths and resources that are required in today’s economy and expected to continue to grow in the future. e-skilling events, webinars and virtual sessions would be co-hosted across the country by eSkill India and Microsoft in order to support students, training partners and higher-education trainees enrolled under NSDC’s skill training programs.
9) Ola partners with PhonePe for digital payments
•Mobility platform Ola has entered into a partnership with digital payments platform PhonePe to expand payment options for riders. The partnership will help the mobility platform enable better digital payments experience on its Ola app.
•Ola customers across the country can now pay for their ride using PhonePe. It will also benefit the digital payments platform in order to help it expand its user base. Ola’s customers can use all of PhonePe’s payment options, including the PhonePe wallet, to make payments in addition to UPI. Ola had recently launched its Ride Safe India encouraging customers to opt for digital payment channels amid Covid-19 to minimise the risk of exposure and avoid physical contact.
10) Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson becomes Instagram’s highest-paid celebrity
•Wrestler-turned-actor, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been named Instagram’s highest-paid celebrity. Dwayne has dethroned Kylie Jenner as Instagram’s highest-paid celebrity. According to social media marketing firm Hopper HQ, Johnson has 189 million followers while Jenner has 183 million followers. He can charge advertisers roughly $1,015,000 for a sponsored post. He was also named Hollywood’s highest-paid actor of 2019 by Forbes.
•Also on this year’s list were pro soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who charged about $889,000 per post and Jenner’s sister Kim Kardashian, who could charge $858,000. Ariana Grande rounds out the top five, charging about $853,000.
