1) World Chocolate Day celebrated on 7th July
•World Chocolate Day or International Chocolate Day is observed on 7th July every year. The day celebrates the existence of chocolate in our lives. It is marked by eating chocolates and sharing with dear ones. The day is an annual global celebration of chocolate, which allows people to gorge and indulge, hopefully guilt-free, in it. On this day, chocolate lovers from all over relish eating different kinds of chocolate or create several dishes with it like cakes, pastries, sinful and gooey brownies, hot chocolate or chocolate mousse, without any guilt.
2) Govt creates ministry of cooperation to boost cooperative movement
•The government has created a Ministry of Cooperation to boost the Indian cooperative movement and give a fillip to the indigenous enterprises. India’s first minister of cooperation will also be sworn in once the Union Cabinet reshuffle takes place and the new ministers take the oath of office at the Durbar Hall in President House. The new ministry of Cooperation will work to realise the vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi” and will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework to boost the cooperative movement in the country.
•The development will aid the deeping of the cooperatives as true people-based movements with benefits going down to the grassroots. The ministry will be mandated to streamline the processes for the ease of doing business for cooperatives and ultimately aim to broaden and strengthen the multi-state cooperatives.
3) Nitin Gadkari becomes “Brand Ambassador” of Khadi Prakritk Paint
•The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways & MSME, Nitin Gadkari, virtually inaugurated India’s first and only paint made from cow dung, under the brand name ‘Khadi Prakritk Paint’. In addition to this, the minister also declared himself as the “Brand Ambassador” of paint, to promote it across the country and encourage young entrepreneurs to take up the manufacturing of cow dung paint.
•The Khadi Prakritk Paint automated manufacturing plant has been set up on the campus of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur, which is a unit of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
4) GoI launches mobile app ‘Matsya Setu’ for Indian aqua farmers
•Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh has launched the Online Course Mobile App “Matsya Setu”. The app was developed by the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar, with the funding support of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. The online course app aims to disseminate the latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to the aqua farmers of the country.
5) DPIIT sets up 9-member panel to curb Digital Monopolies
•The Central Government has formed a nine-member panel for the development of an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), designed to curb digital monopolies. This ONDC project is initiated by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and will be implemented by the Quality Council of India (QCI).
•The nine-member committee of ONDC will advise the Government of India on measures needed to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers, among other things.
6) Neha Parikh appointed as CEO of crowd-sourced navigation app ‘Waze’
•The Central Government has formed a nine-member panel for the development of an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), designed to curb digital monopolies. This ONDC project is initiated by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and will be implemented by the Quality Council of India (QCI).
•The nine-member committee of ONDC will advise the Government of India on measures needed to digitise the entire value chain, standardise operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics and enhance value for consumers, among other things.
7) GST collection dips below Rs 1 lakh crore in June
•GST collection dipped below Rs 1 lakh crore in June after staying above that mark for eight consecutive months. Centre mopped up Rs 92,849 crore GST for the month of June of which CGST is Rs 16,424 crore, SGST is Rs 20,397 crore, IGST is Rs 49,079 crore (including Rs 25,762 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 6,949 crore (including Rs 809 crore collected on import of goods.
•With eased relaxations following improvement in the overall Covid-19 situation in the country, the government expects GST revenues to rise from July 2021 onwards.
8) Paytm launches ‘Postpaid Mini’ to provide small-ticket instant loans
•Paytm has announced the launch of Postpaid Mini, small-ticket loans that will give users the flexibility to access loans ranging from Rs 250 – Rs 1,000, in partnership with Aditya Birla Finance Ltd. The product is an extension of its Buy Now, Pay Later service, driving affordability amongst those new to credit. These small ticket instant loans will give flexibility to users and also help manage their household expenses to maintain liquidity during the ongoing Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
9) Korean Air wins Air Transport World’s Airline of the Year Award
•Korean Air has been announced the winner of one of the most prestigious honours in the aviation industry: Air Transport World’s (ATW) 2021 Airline of the Year. This year’s award is even more meaningful to Korean Air, as the global industry has been suffering from the unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19.
•The company’s excellent leadership, its ability to remain operationally profitable through the industry’s worst-ever crisis, its strong commitment to health safety customer service excellence, and its remarkable relationship with employees.” The judges also noted the airline’s “transformational strategic deal to incorporate Asiana and create a larger, more global flagship carrier. Korean Air plans to continue to strengthen its position in the global aviation industry and aims to become one of the world’s top 10 airlines after successfully acquiring and integrating Asiana Airlines.
10) Tourism Ministry signs MoU with Yatra to strengthen hospitality, tourism industry
•The tourism ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yatra to strengthen and enable the tourism and hospitality industry. The event was organised under an arrangement between the Ministry of Tourism and the Quality Council of India (QCI), where the MoU for the Tourism Ministry Yatra tie-up was signed.
11) Jim Whitehurst resigns as IBM president
•Jim Whitehurst has announced he is stepping down as the president of IBM. Whitehurst’s resignation is being seen as one of the several management moves IBM announced. The 53-year-old’s exit led to shares of the technological giant falling 4.8 per cent to $139.83, the most in five months. Whitehurst was appointed as IBM’s president last year. This was the first time in decades that the corporation split up the designation of a chief executive officer (CEO) and president.
12) WAKO India Kickboxing Federation gets Government recognition
•The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has decided to grant recognition to WAKO India Kickboxing Federation as National Sports Federation (NSF) for promotion and development of the Kickboxing sport in India. To be fully included and accepted in the Olympic movement is important for the recognition and development of the sport of kickboxing.
•It is expected that with government recognition of WAKO India Kickboxing Federation as NSF, the sport of kickboxing will develop at a faster pace in the country. WAKO have been a provisionally recognized member of the IOC Since 30 November 2018. The full recognition of WAKO will be finally decided by the IOC Session in Tokyo in July 2021.
