World’s largest Covid Care facility with 10,000 beds inaugurated in Delhi

1.Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Covid Hospital built by DRDO in record time of 12 days becomes operational

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visited the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel COVID hospital in Delhi.The one thousand -bedded hospital with 250 ICU beds became operational.The facility was built in a record time of 12 days by Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRD   `O along with the Home Ministry, Health Ministry, the Armed Forces, Tata Sons and other industry players.The hospital will be operated by a medical team of doctors, nurses and support staff from the Armed Forces Medical Services while the facility will be maintained by the DRDO.The COVID-19 patients referred by the district administration will be admitted and treated free of cost at this facility. Critical cases will be referred to AIIMS, New Delhi.

2.World’s largest Covid Care facility with 10,000 beds inaugurated in Delhi

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inaugurated the 10,000-bedded Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) at Radha Soami Satsang Beas.This is the world’s largest Covid care facility which will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 positive patients.Operationally, the SPCCCH has been linked to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital.Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is chosen as the nodal agency for operating the center.

3.AIR begins broadcast of its first ever news magazine programme in Sanskrit

All India Radio started the broadcast of its first ever news magazine programme in Sanskrit.The programme titled, ‘Sanskrit Saptahiki’ will be of 20 minutes duration and can be heard at 7.10 A.M on every Saturday on All India Radio FM News Channel.Sukti, Prasang, Saptahiki, Sanskrit Darshan, Gyan Vigyan, Bal Vallari, Ek Bharat -Shreshtha Bharat and Anvikshiki will be featured in the News Magazine.The weekly programme will have elements from the prominent developments of the week, news from the world of Sanskrit, explaining the humane values enshrined in Sanskrit literature, philosophy, history, art, culture and tradition.It will give voices to the children and youth and their feelings about the great Indian tradition and culture.

4.Govt blocks 40 websites of banned pro-Khalistan group ‘Sikhs For Justice’

The Centre blocked 40 websites linked to pro-Khalistan gourp Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) for ‘a campaign for registering supporters for its cause’.“Sikhs For Justice(SFJ), an unlawful organization under the UAPA, 1967, launched a campaign for registering supporters for its cause.The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is the nodal authority for monitoring cyberspace in India.Last year, the home ministry had banned the SFJ for its alleged anti-national activities.The SFJ pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda.

5.’Intzaar Aap Ka’ campaign started in Madhya Pradesh to attract tourists

In Madhya Pradesh, in order to attract tourists to the tourist places of the state; ‘Intzaar Aap Ka’ campaign has started on social media platforms.The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has been inviting tourists by describing the characteristics of each tourist destination in an attractive way with that tagline on social media platforms.Madhya Pradesh Tourism board is inviting tourists for safe outing during the monsoon season at various religious, natural and archaeological tourist places of the state like Mahakaleshwar, Pachmarhi, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Amarkantak and other tourist places.

6.More than 25 Cr saplings to be planted in UP under ‘Mission Vriksharopan-2020’

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated ‘Mission Vriksharopan-2020’ in Kukarel forest in the capital city Lucknow.Under this programme, more than 25 crore saplings will be planted across the state.Notably, medicinal, fruit yielding, environmental, shady, fodder, and other important plants of more than 201 species were planted in a day through extensive public participation and interdepartmental coordination.The plantation drive also focuses upon prevention of malnutrition, biodiversity conservation and plantation along the banks of Ganga and tributaries.

7.HDFC Bank to offer ZipDrive Instant Auto Loans across 1,000 cities in India

HDFC Bank announced its plans to offer instant auto loans called ZipDrive to its customers in 1,000 cities.The offering is now being extended to Tier 2 and 3 cities, such as Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, Thalassery in Kerala, and Balasore in Odisha among other places, across India.The move comes amidst demand for entry-level cars as people try to avoid public transport.Under the scheme, HDFC Bank customers are given pre-approved loan offers using the bank’s proprietary algorithm and analytics.

8.CBSE partners with Facebook to launch free training program for teachers, students

The Central Board of Secondary Education-CBSE has partnered with Facebook to launch a free and comprehensive training program for teachers and students of its affiliated schools.The program will cover teacher training on augmented reality and student training on digital safety and online well- being.The training program will be of three weeks in which 10 thousand teachers will be trained on augmented reality while 10 thousand students will be trained on digital safety and well-being.The participants will also receive a joint e- certificate from CBSE and Facebook on successful completion of the course.

9.NPCI to set up Rs 500 crore smart data centre in Hyderabad

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in the country, will develop its smart data centre in Hyderabad at an investment of Rs 500 crore.The foundation stone for this Tier-IV data centre was laid by Telangana Information Technology and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao at Narsingi village in Hyderabad.The Smart Data Centre is being constructed by L&T and will be built with an Internet of Things (IoT) based building- management system that will have eight layers of security, conforming to top global standards of data centres.

10.Airtel’s Ajai Puri to chair COAI, Jio’s PK Mittal appointed vice-chairman

Telecom industry body COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) announced the appointment of Bharti Airtel chief operating officer for India and South Asia, Ajai Puri, as its new chairman and Reliance Jio president P K Mittal as vice-chairman for 2020-21.Puri has replaced Vodafone Idea CEO Ravinder Takkar as the chairman of the COAI on rotation basis. Puri has been with Bharti Airtel since 2004.Mittal was senior Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications previously.This is the first time Reliance Jio has got a leadership position in the industry body.

11.Lt Col Bharat Pannu secures podium position at vRAAM 2020

Lt Col Bharat Pannu, a serving Indian Army Officer has created history by successfully securing a podium place at the first edition of the Virtual Race Across America (vRAAM) 2020.With this, he has become the first Indian ever to win a podium place at an international ultra-cycling race.Pannu is an army officer posted with the Army’s Aviation Test Team.The Race Across America (RAAM) is a 5000 km transcontinental race from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States of America with a cut-off time of 12 days.This year, the organisers had to cancel the event due to the ongoing pandemic and came up with a virtual format for the race.Lt Col Pannu finished 3rd on the leaderboard with a total distance of 4086km in 12 days and a total cumulative elevation gain of 71,000 meters.

12.Urjit Patel Book on Indian Banking’s NPA Crisis to release soon

Urjit Patel, who resigned as governor of the Reserve Bank of India in December 2018, will release a book later in July.Titled ‘Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver’, Patel’s book focuses on Indian banking’s bad loans crisis, its causes and how he dealt with it as the RBI governor.Patel, under whose governorship demonetisation was carried out, resigned from the RBI in December 2018.The resignation came at a time when relations between the government and the central bank had soured, with the former threatening to invoke a never-before used clause to give directions to the monetary authority.