1 Sania Mirza, Mary Kom and TV host Rannvijay Singha become brand ambassadors of Play Sports
Six-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 in women’s doubles Sania Mirza , six-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom and actor Rannvijay Singha have joined ‘ Play Sports’ as brand ambassadors . Play Sports aims to build a sustainable sports ecosystem in India. For this it is working with schools, developing sports, managing sports infrastructure, running academies and discovering talent from the grassroots level.
2 INS Triput launched
The first of the two advanced ships under construction by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the Indian Navy was launched on 23 July 2024 at GSL, Goa . In keeping with the maritime tradition, the ship was launched by Smt. Rita Sreedharan with an invocation from Atharva Veda in the presence of Shri P S Sreedharan Pillai, Hon’ble Governor of Goa . The ship has been named Triput after the mighty arrow that represents the indomitable spirit and ability to strike far and deep of the Indian Navy. Ministry of Defence and Goa Shipyard Limited had signed the contract for construction of two advanced ships of the Triput class on 25 January 19. This is the 9th stealth guided missile frigate of the Talwar class frigates. Its construction work started on 29 January 2021. The ship has a displacement of 3850 tonnes at sea level. Its length is 409.5 feet, beam is 49.10 feet and draught is 13.9 feet. This warship can move at a maximum speed of 59 kilometers per hour in the sea. INS Triput can stay at sea for 30 days with 18 officers and 180 soldiers. It has 24 Stealth-1 medium range missiles deployed. 8 Igla-1E, 8 vertical launch anti-ship missile club, 8 vertical launch anti-ship and land attack Brahmos missiles are also present. It has a 100 mm A-190E naval gun. The Triput class ships being built at GSL are follow-up ships of the Teg and Talwar class ships acquired from Russia. These ships are being built indigenously by an Indian shipyard for the first time.
3 Billion Impressions inaugurated in Ranchi
On July 24, Chief Minister Hemant Soren inaugurated Billion Impressions built in Bhagwan Birsa Munda Smriti Park in Ranchi . Billion Impressions has been built by Tata Steel . Billion Impressions is a mark of two thumbs , which is a symbol of unity . The purpose of this statue is to promote art and culture. Other statues like Billion Impressions have been installed in many parts of the country. This statue with fingerprints of two thumbs is 11.5 meters (37.7 feet) tall. Billion Impressions was the winner of the international design competition of Notions of India and Tata Steel.
4 A commemorative postage stamp was released in honour of famous singer Mukesh on his 100th birth anniversary
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat released a commemorative postage stamp in honour of renowned singer Mukesh on his 100th birth anniversary in New Delhi . On the occasion, Shri Shekhawat praised Mukesh for his extraordinary contribution to music. Highlighting the legacy of Mukesh, he said that Mukesh gave more than 1300 songs to the people. Mukesh sang songs for all the lead stars of his time, but he sang the most for showman Raj Kapoor. These include many great songs including ‘Dost-Dost Na Raha’, ‘Awara Hoon’ and ‘Mera Juta Hai Japani’.
5 Bioplastic made from cassava is boosting the local economy in Nagaland
Small holder farmers from 10 villages in Mokokchung district of Nagaland are setting an example by using compostable bioplastic bags made from cassava starch in place of plastic . Government efforts to ban single-use plastic have had limited impact mainly due to the lack of alternative lightweight materials that can replace the widely used plastic. To address this challenge, North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) has supported an initiative to make compostable bioplastic bags from cassava starch (Manihot esculenta) . Ecostarch, a Nagaland-based MSME has set up a facility to make bioplastic bags from cassava plant in Mokokchung, Nagaland and is mobilizing farmers within a range of 30-40 km of the production facility to cultivate cassava.
6 Ladakh’s rock varnish could help identify habitable environments in space
Magnetofossils– fossilized remains of magnetic particles produced by magnetotactic bacteria–have been observed in rock varnish layers in Ladakh . Studies suggesting biological processes in the formation of rock varnish illustrate how life can exist in extreme environments, providing valuable insights for astrobiology as well as for planning future space missions with the goal of identifying habitable environments in space . Ladakh, known as the ” cold desert of India “, experiences extreme climatic conditions such as high ultraviolet (UV) radiation , significant temperature variation, and limited water availability, making it a suitable terrestrial analog for studying Mars . Researchers at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow (BSIP), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), were particularly inspired by the similarities between the rock varnish found in Ladakh and that observed during Mars Perseverance rover operations.
7 National Time Release Study Report, 2024
Recently, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) released the National Time Release Study ( NTRS ) 2024 report , which measured cargo release time at 9 ports in India . The objective of the NTRS, 2024 report is to assess the progress made towards the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) goals, identify the impact of various trade facilitation initiatives and identify challenges in reducing release time more rapidly. The NTFAP aims to transform the cross-border clearance mechanism through efficient, transparent, risk-based, coordinated, digital, seamless and technology-driven processes, supported by state-of-the-art sea ports, airports and land borders. NTRS, 2024 is the fourth annual national-level study, which uses a standardized methodology to analyze border clearance times for imports and exports from January 1 to February 7, 2024. The study highlights the efficiency of the CBIC Pre-payment Customs Compliance Verification initiative. In the CBIC Pre-payment Customs Compliance Verification (PCCV) initiative, all customs formalities are completed and only the final approval for payment of duties by the importer remains pending.
8 All villages in Haryana made Lal Dora-free
All villages in Haryana have been made Lal Dora-free. The state government had launched the scheme to make villages “ Lal Dora-free ” on Good Governance Day on 25 December 2019. It is a reformative step towards establishing clear ownership of assets in rural inhabited areas by mapping land assets using drone technology and providing ‘ Record of Rights ’ to village homeowners along with issuance of statutory ownership cards . Under this, field verification of rural and residential areas in each village was done and mapping of every land asset falling under ‘Lal Dora’ was closely monitored. In some states, the inhabited areas of villages ( known as “Lal Dora” land in Punjab and Haryana and “Aabadi” in some places) were mostly excluded from such surveys. Many Indian rural communities did not have documentary land rights, instead they had to rely on actual possession to claim land ownership in inhabited areas. Rural land asset owners cannot use their assets as financial assets to obtain loans from banks without any legal documents.
9 SIDBI’s $1B fund for green financing of MSMEs: A step towards a greener future
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) , which has received approval for a financial support of $215.6 million from the Green Climate Fund , will create a $1 billion fund to finance Mitigation and Adaptation Projects (FMAP) of medium and small enterprises (MSMEs). The board of the Green Climate Fund, an entity set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has approved a loan of $200 million for SIDBI and a grant of $15.6 million for capacity building. A press release issued by SIDBI said that the FMAP facility will provide “approximately 10,000 concessional loans” to MSMEs to promote low-emission, climate-resilient technologies. The FMAP programme is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35.3 million tonnes.
10 Indians allowed visa-free entry to 58 countries, including popular destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
India has been ranked 82nd in the global passport index , which allows Indians visa-free entry to 58 countries, including popular destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. India’s ranking has risen by 3 places since the index was released in January this year. According to the latest rankings by the UK-based Henley Passport Index , India’s passport is now ranked 82. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) . Singapore occupied the top spot in the index with its citizens getting visa-free entry to 195 countries . It replaced Japan from the first spot, which is now tied for second place with Spain, France, Germany and Italy . The passports of all the five countries allow visa-free access to 192 destinations .
11 National Income Tax Day 2024
National Income Tax Day is an important milestone in India’s financial history. The day is observed on July 24. Income tax is an important government tax levied on income earned by individuals and businesses during a financial year. The concept of “income” is broadly defined under Section 2(24) of the Income Tax Act, which includes earnings from a variety of sources. Income Tax Day, which is observed on July 24, commemorates a significant moment in India’s financial history. It was on this day in 1860 that Sir James Wilson introduced the concept of income tax in India. This initial implementation, though rudimentary, laid important foundations for the country’s future tax structure. The actual structure of India’s income tax system came into being with the Income Tax Act of 1922. This comprehensive law did more than define tax rates; it established a formal hierarchy of income tax officials and created a systematic framework for tax administration. The Act was an important step towards modernizing India’s fiscal policies.
