1) World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: 30th July
•United Nations observes 30 July every year as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. In 2013, the General Assembly designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.
•The 2020 theme for the World Day Against Trafficking: “Committed to the Cause – Working on the Frontline to End Human Trafficking”. The theme will focus on the first responders to human trafficking. These are the people who work in different sectors – identifying, supporting, counselling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers.
2) International Day of Friendship: 30th July
•International Day of Friendship is observed globally on 30th July. This day is celebrated to mark the importance of friends and friendship in life. The day also advocates the role that friendship plays in promoting peace in several cultures across the world.
3) HRD Ministry to be renamed as Ministry of Education
•Ministry of Human Resource Development has been renamed as Ministry of Education. The Union Cabinet has approved the change in the name of the ministry. The HRD Ministry is currently headed by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
•The name change was a key recommendation of the draft New Education Policy. The HRD ministry name was adopted in 1985, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as it was changed from the Ministry of Education. The changes in the name of the ministry have been proposed in order to focus on education and learning. The new National Education Policy (NEP) will replace the existing National Policy on Education which was first formulated in 1986 and last modified in 1992.
4) ADB approves USD 3 million grant to India to combat COVID-19
•Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 3 million (about Rs 22 crore) grant to India from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund to further support the government”s emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic.
•The grant, which is financed by the Japanese government, will be used to procure thermal scanners and essential commodities to strengthen India’s COVID-19 response. This support will enhance disease surveillance and help in early detection, contact tracing, and treatment.
5) PFC signs agreement with IIT-Kanpur in smart grid technology
•Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur for Training, Research, and Entrepreneurship Development in Smart Grid Technology. The agreement was on a virtual platform. The objective of the pact is to provide support to IIT-Kanpur in developing infrastructure for research and development on smart grid technology.
•Under the agreement, PFC will provide financial assistance of worth Rs 2,38,97000 to IIT-Kanpur. As part of the project, IIT-K will also provide training on smart grid technology to 90 participants and provide fellowship to 9 selected candidates. The fellows will be assisted by Start-up Innovation and Incubation Centre of IIT-Kanpur and encouraged to take up entrepreneurial activities.
6) Sunil ydv SS honoured with Karamveer Chakra Award from UN and ICONGO
•The founder of SS Motivation, Sunil ydv SS was honoured with “Karamveer Chakra Award” by Global Fellowship Award instituted by United Nations and International Confederation of NGO (iCONGO) at the ReX ConcLIVE hosted in IIT Delhi. He received the award for his relentless contribution to society through his Telegram channel “SS Motivation.” He addresses social issues and motivates people every day through his channel. The awards he won last year include Rastra Prerna, Iconic Personality of India, Incredible Indian Icon and Humanitarian Excellence.
7) Paytm Money appoints Varun Sridhar as CEO
•The investment & wealth management subsidiary of Paytm, Paytm Money has appointed Varun Sridhar as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. He will replace former MD and CEO Pravin Jadhav who resigned from the startup due to differences with the management of Paytm.
•Sridhar will be reporting to Amit Nayyar, the President at Paytm. Sridhar will lead the launch and development of equity brokerage services for the firm, and grow existing products around mutual funds, national pension system and gold services, which the company offers.
