1) CRPF observes 83rd Raising Day on 27 July
•The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), observed its 83rd Raising Day on 27 July 2021. CRPF is India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Its headquarter is located in New Delhi. It came into existence as the Crown Representative’s Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on the enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949.
2) International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
•The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem (or World Mangrove Day) is celebrated annually on 26 July. The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems as “a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem” and to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses.
•The day was adopted by the General Conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015. It was on this day in 1998, that a Greenpeace activist Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, died of a heart attack during a massive protest to re-establish the mangrove wetlands in Muisne, Ecuador.
3) Amit Shah inaugurates Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme
•Union Home Minister, Amit Shah along with chief minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated the much-awaited Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme at Sohra in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. The Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme was conceptualised by the Meghalaya government and an amount of Rs. 24.08 cr was sanctioned by the DoNER ministry in 2019 under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS). He also planted tree saplings in Sohra as part of the Sohra Afforestation Project of the Assam Rifles.
•This is a first of its kind initiative of the Government of Meghalaya to bring together the Ministry of Home Affairs, Defence officials, and village communities for a novel and humanitarian purpose in the field of Natural Resource Management in a very important and ecologically fragile landscape.
4) Uzbekistan hosts ‘Central-South Asia conference 2021
•Uzbekistan has hosted a high-level International Conference titled “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” at Tashkent. The conference was an initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It was attended by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, Ministers from Central Asian, West Asian and South Asian countries, including Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Jaishankar. Delegates from over 40 countries and about 30 international organizations, and heads of think tanks participated in the conference.
5) Philippines becomes first country to approve Golden Rice for planting
•The Philippines has become the first country in the world to get approval for the commercial production of genetically modified “golden rice”, a variety of rice enriched with nutrients to help reduce childhood malnutrition. The Golden rice has been developed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), after spending nearly two decades.
6) UNESCO grants World Heritage Status to Madrid’s Paseo del Prado and Retiro Park
•The historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and Retiro Park of Madrid, in Spain, has been granted the status of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The wide tree-lined Paseo del Prado, in the centre of the Spanish capital, is home to prominent buildings such as the Prado Museum. The iconic Retiro Park, just adjoining with Paseo del Prado, is a 125-hectare green space, and one of the most visited attractions in Madrid’s history.
7) Sunseap set to build world’s biggest floating solar in Indonesia
•Singapore’s Sunseap Group, plans to spend 2 billion dollars to build the world’s largest floating solar farm and energy storage system in neighbouring Indonesian city Batam, which will double its renewable power generation capacity. The floating photovoltaic system is expected to have a capacity of 2.2 gigawatts (peak).
•It will cover 1600 hectares (4000 acres) of the Duriangkang Reservoir on Batam Island. An agreement between Sundeap and the Batam Indonesia free zone authority (BP Batam) to move forward with the project was signed.
8) Dholavira inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
•A Harappan-era metropolis, Dholavira in Gujarat has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now Gujarat has three world heritage sites, Champaner near Pavagadh, Rani ki Vav in Patan and the historic city of Ahmedabad. Dholavira is now the 40th treasure in India to be given.
•The ongoing 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has already given India a new world heritage site in the form of the Rudreswara/ Ramappa Temple in Telangana, which dates back to the 13th century. This session of the World Heritage Committee is being chaired from Fuzhou in China.
9) NASA selects SpaceX for mission to Jupiter moon Europa
•The US space agency NASA has selected California-based SpaceX to provide launch services for Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter’s moon Europa. The mission called ‘Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to be launched in October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
10) Care Ratings Projects India’s GDP growth between 8.8-9% in FY22
•The Care Ratings agency has estimated the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of India to be in the range of 8.8 to 9 per cent in the current financial year, that is 2021-22 (FY22). The country’s economy had contracted by 7.3 per cent in fiscal 2020-21.
•The report also said the fiscal deficit for FY22 is projected between Rs 17.38 lakh crore to Rs 17.68 lakh crore. The main drivers of the economy would be the agriculture and industry sectors.
11) Japan’s Yuto Horigome wins first ever Olympic gold medal in skateboarding
•Japan’s Yuto Horigome has won the first-ever skateboarding competition at the Olympic Games, taking gold in men’s street event at the Ariake Urban Sport in Tokyo. Yuto overcame a shaky start to pocket the gold with 37.18 points. Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil won silver in the men’s street skating competition, while Jagger Eaton of the United States clinched the bronze.
•Skateboarding’s inclusion into the Olympics marks a turning point for the sport, which has its roots in youth street culture and has influenced everything from art to fashion.
12) Priya Malik wins Gold at World Cadet Wrestling Championship
•Indian Wrestler Priya Malik has won a Gold Medal at the 2021 World Cadet Wrestling Championship in Budapest, Hungary. She defeated Kseniya Patapovich 5-0 in the summit clash of women’s 73kg weight category to win the yellow medal. The Indian team bagged as many as 13 medals, including 5 Golds at the Championship, to make the country proud.
