1 Shri Ashwini Vaishnav to inaugurate the AI Global India Summit 2024
The Global India AI Summit 2024 is scheduled to be held on July 3 and 4, 2024, as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is all set to host an eminent gathering of international delegates, AI experts and policy makers at the summit. The summit holds great significance for India as it underlines its commitment to promote the development of responsible artificial intelligence (AI). The Global India AI Summit will be inaugurated by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information & Broadcasting.
2 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched NTR Bharosa Pension Scheme
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched the NTR Bharosa Pension Scheme in the state on July 1, 2024 by personally delivering the pension amount to a beneficiary at his home. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) -led government, which was sworn in on June 12, 2024, was fulfilling one of its election promises. TDP president and Andhra Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the scheme at Penumaka village in Tadepalli block of Amaravati at 6 am on July 1, 2024. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also attended the pension distribution program at Gollaprolu village in his Pithapuram constituency. All cabinet members and MLAs of the ruling coalition participated in this pension distribution program in their respective constituencies.
3 Shahrukh Khan became the first Indian to win ‘Locarno’ Awards
On July 2, the organizers of the Locarno Film Festival announced to honor Shah Rukh Khan at the event. Shah Rukh will be awarded the Career Achievement Award at this film festival to be held in Switzerland . Shah Rukh Khan is the first Indian actor to be honored with the ‘ Pardo alla Career Ascona-Locarno Tourism ‘ . Earlier, Italian filmmaker Francesco Rossi, American singer and actor Harry Belafonte and Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang have received this honor. 58-year-old Shah Rukh will be given this award on August 10 at Piazza Grande in Locarno, Switzerland. Shah Rukh Khan has won 14 Filmfare Awards out of 30 nominations. Shah Rukh Khan was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005. In 2020, he became the richest actor in the world. Shah Rukh Khan started his film career in 1998 with the film ‘Baazigar’. The 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will run from 7 to 17 August 2024.
4 ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ won the IFFLA Award
On July 1, ‘ Girls Will Be Girls ‘ received the Grand Jury Award at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles . This film is produced by Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal . Earlier, ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ won two more Grand Jury Awards. This includes the Grand Jury Award at the Transylvania International Film Festival in Romania and the Biarritz Film Festival in France . Kani Kusruti and Preeti Panigrahi played the lead roles in this film. ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is a 2024 Indo-French coming-of-age drama film. The writer and director of this film is Shuchi Talati .
5 Singapore wins FIDE World Championship auction
On July 1, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced that Singapore will host the FIDE World Championship match. Singapore won the bid to host the match for Rs 20.86 crore (2.5 million US dollars) . FIDE received 3 applications to host the World Championship match, two of which were from India and one from Singapore. The Indian government had applied for New Delhi and the Tamil Nadu government for Chennai, taking advantage of which Singapore won the bid. The match will be played between Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh and World Champion Ding Liren of China on November 20 and December 15. 17-year-old Gukesh won the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto in April. He became the youngest player to do so.
6 Dick Schopf elected as Prime Minister of Netherlands
The Netherlands has a different prime minister for the first time in 14 years, as Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in the country’s new government on Tuesday. The swearing-in comes more than seven months after elections that were dominated by a far-right, anti-Islam party. Dick Schoof, the former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counter-terrorism office , signed the official royal order at Huis ten Bosch palace, saying he “declares and promises” to take up his duties as the country’s prime minister. Schoof, 67, was formally installed along with 15 other ministers from the country’s right-wing coalition.
7 Artillery museum inaugurated in Nashik district of Maharashtra
The Artillery Museum renovated as Kumaramangalam Artillery Museum was inaugurated at the Artillery Centre in Nashik district of Maharashtra . The event was held on the birth anniversary of former Army Chief General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam . Among the major attractions of the museum is a 3-D film on the Kargil war. The film gives the audience a feel of the challenges faced by the armed forces in rugged terrain. The museum is a major hub for tourists visiting Nashik, showcasing the rich history of artillery and its significant contribution to India’s military heritage. The foundation stone of the museum was laid by General Kumaramangalam on 16 November 1968. It was inaugurated on 27 September 1970. The museum has various selfie points for visitors. The museum also includes legendary stories of Umrao Singh, awarded the Victoria Cross in World War II, and the famous Tangail airdrop during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
8 Defence Ministry signs MoU to set up test facilities in Unmanned Aerial Systems, Electronic Warfare and Electro Optics domains in Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up three state-of-the-art test facilities in Chennai under the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor , pertaining to Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) , Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electro Optics (EO) domains . The MoUs under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) were exchanged between senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited in New Delhi on July 2, 2024. Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane was also present on the occasion. DTIS was launched by Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in May 2020 with an outlay of Rs 400 crore. It aims to set up state-of-the-art test facilities in collaboration with private companies and Central/State Government, promote indigenous defence production, reduce imports of military equipment and enhance self-reliance. Seven test facilities were approved to provide impetus to the defence and aerospace sectors within the Defence Industrial Corridors. Under this, four testing facilities are to be set up in Tamil Nadu and three in Uttar Pradesh. MoUs have been signed for three facilities in Tamil Nadu.
9 Air Force Chief inaugurates Weapon Systems School at Begumpet, Hyderabad
Chief of the Air Force (CAS) Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary inaugurated the Weapon Systems School (WSS) at Air Force Station Begumpet, Hyderabad on 01 July 2024. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The inception of the Weapon Systems School (WSS), a new officer corps in the IAF, came after it was sanctioned in the year 2022. With the aim of reorganising and transforming the Indian Air Force as a future-oriented force, this new training establishment has been formed. This is a major achievement for the armed forces in general and the Indian Air Force in particular. The Chief of the Air Force (CAS) had announced the formation of the Weapon Systems School during the Air Force Day Parade ceremony on 08 October 2022.
10 RBI and ASEAN countries to create a platform for cross border retail payment process
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and central banks of four ASEAN countries on Project Nexus . It is a multilateral initiative aimed at enabling efficient, fast and affordable retail cross-border payments. The platform is expected to go live by 2026 and will interlink the domestic fast payment systems (FPS) of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and India. An agreement to this effect was signed on June 30, 2024 in Basel, Switzerland by the BIS and the central banks of the founding countries—Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Bank of Thailand (BOT), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Reserve Bank of India. Indonesia will join as a special observer.
11 Air India will open pilot training schools
Air India is setting up South Asia’s largest flight training school in Maharashtra ‘s Amravati district , investing over ₹ 200 crore . The school is scheduled to open in the first quarter of the next financial year. The initiative is aimed at securing a steady pipeline of pilots for the airline, which will need 500-700 pilots annually to support its expansion plans after a mega order of 470 Airbus and Boeing aircraft in 2023.
12 World UFO Day 2024: 02 July
World UFO Day is celebrated every year on July 2 , a special day to spread awareness about the existence of unidentified flying saucers (UFOs) and focus on claims of seeing them. The purpose of this day is to encourage discussion about UFOs and their possible evidence. The main purpose of celebrating this day is to draw attention to the mysteries and questions related to UFOs and to encourage reports of UFO sightings around the world. The full form of UFO is “Unidentified Flying Object”, which means “unidentified flying object” in Hindi.
13 World Sports Journalists’ Day 2024: 02 July
World Sports Journalists Day is celebrated every year on 2 July . The main objective of this day is to recognize the contribution of sports journalists and appreciate their work. Sports journalism plays an important role in the world of sports, as it not only provides information about sports but also acts as a bridge between sports and players. World Sports Journalists Day was started in 1994 by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) .
