1) Tiranga bike rally organised by Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy
•A Har Ghar Tiranga Bike Rally by Members of Parliament was launched in Delhi from the famed Red Fort by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu. The Tiranga Bike rally is organised by Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy. In honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, a bike rally was held from Red Fort to Vijay Chowk. Additionally present were Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal.
2) India Navy and France Navy conducted exercise in the Atlantic Ocean
•The Indian Navy guided-missile frigate INS Tarkash, while on her long-range overseas deployment, conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French naval ships in the North Atlantic Ocean on July 29 and 30. INS Tarkash and French Fleet Tanker FNS Somme carried out a replenishment at sea, followed by cooperative air operations with the maritime surveillance aircraft Falcon 50, taking part in several mock missile engagements and air defence drills.
•The successful conduct of these surface and aerial exercises symbolise the high degree of professionalism and interoperability that exists between the two navies. India and France are maritime nations with dynamic maritime economy sectors like marine technology and scientific research, fisheries, port and shipping, to name a few. Possessing vast exclusive economic zones, their fate is closely linked to the sea and the ocean.
3) GoI released commemorative postage stamp to honour Tricolour designer P Venkayya
•The government of India released a special commemorative postage stamp to mark the 146th birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, the designer of India’s national flag. The stamp was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event “Tiranga Utsav” organised by the Ministry of Culture at Indira Gandhi Stadium, in New Delhi.
•The event will also display the original design of the national flag made by Pingali Venkayya. The current flag is the modified version of the first design of the flag. The Tiranga Utsav will also witness the grand launch of the “Har Ghar Tiranga” anthem and video. Venkayya, born on August 02, 1876, near Machilipatnam town in Andhra Pradesh, was a freedom fighter and a follower of Gandhian principles.
4) India to participate combat exercise drill “Pitch Black 2022” in Australia
•India will be part of the mega air combat exercise “Pitch Black 2022” among 17 nations, to be held in the Northern Territory of Australia. India’s participation in the exercise, “Pitch Black”, has been confirmed by the Australian government. Over 100 aircraft and 2,500 military personnel from 17 nations will be part of the drill. The exercise is scheduled to take place from August 19 to September 6.
•This year’s participants include Australia, Canada, India, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the UAE, the UK and the US.
5) Sujoy Lal Thaosen gets the additional charge of DG of ITBP
•Sashastra Seema Bal’s director general in New Delhi, Dr. Sujoy Lal Thaosen assumed the additional responsibility of Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Dr. Thaosen is a Madhya Pradesh Cadre IPS Officer from the 1988 batch. Dr. Thaosen received the charge and traditional baton from IPS Sanjay Arora. The ITBP, established in 1962, patrols the Indo-Chinese border. Additionally, it is used for a number of internal security tasks, such as anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.
6) Jio getting ready to launch World’s Most Advanced 5G Network across India
•Reliance Jio, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, became the highest bidder for 5G spectrum, paying Rs 88,078 crore to buy over half of the airwaves offered in the most recent auction. The Adani group paid Rs 212 crore for 400 MHz, or less than 1% of all spectrum sold, according to Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Jio has also acquired the 700 MHz band.
7) Indian Air Force will retire all squadrons of MiG-21 by 2025
•The Indian Air Force will retire one of its four remaining squadrons, MiG-21 (Russian combat aircraft) fighter jets by 2022 September and the other three are scheduled to be phased out by 2025. The old MiG-21s will be replaced with newer fighter jets. Six MiG-21s have been lost in crashes in the last 20 months, killing five pilots. The IAF also plans to start the phasing out of the three squadrons of MiG-29 fighter jets in the next five years.
8) GST collection for July 2022 second highest ever at Rs 1.49 lakh crore
•Goods Services Tax collection has risen 28 per cent to touch the second-highest level of Rs 1.49 lakh crore in July on the back of economic recovery and steps taken to curb tax evasion. Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection stood at Rs 1,16,393 crore in the same month a year ago. GST, introduced in July 2017, touched a record high of Rs 1.68 lakh crore in April 2022.
9) RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index(FI-Index) Inches Up
•The Reserve Bank of India’s composite financial inclusion index (FI-Index) capturing the extent of financial inclusion across the country rose to 56.4 in March 2022, showing growth across parameters. RBI now publishes the index annually in July every year.
•The index stood at 53.9 in March last year. It was at 43.4 for the period ending March 2017, showing rapid improvement in reach of financial services over the past five years.
10) A book titled “Dangerous Earth” by Marine biologist Ellen Prager
•Marine biologist Ellen Prager has come up with a book titled “Dangerous Earth: What we wish we knew about volcanoes, hurricanes, climate change, earthquakes and more”. In the book, the author seeks to respond to the most compelling question: Why can’t we better predict natural disasters?
11) A book titled “Lion Of The Skies: Hardit Singh Malik” by Stephen Barker
•A book titled “Lion of the Skies: Hardit Singh Malik, the Royal Air Force and the First World War” is all about an “India’s first fighter pilot” who participated in the World War, long before the Indian Air Force was born. The book has been written by author Stephen Barker, who describes in great detail, how challenging it was for an Indian to serve in the British armed forces, fighting racial discrimination – both institutional and interpersonal.
•During the First World War, Hardit Singh Malik served as a fighter pilot for both Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) for fighting the Germans. He is also the first Indian Ambassador to France.
12) 4th ONGC Para Games 2022 inaugurated by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri
•The fourth edition of the ONGC Para Games was officially launched in New Delhi’s Thyagaraj Sports Complex by Union Minister of Petroleum, Natural Gas, Housing, and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri. The 4th ONGC Para Games are being held by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) from August 2-4, 2022, and feature 275 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) who work for eight central oil and gas public organisations.
