Current Affairs Daily digest – July 20 2019
1. IFS officer Vivek Kumar appointed Private Secretary to PM Modi
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Vivek Kumar has been appointed as private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This new assignment for Vivek Kumar was cleared by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister and order was issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
2. India, China to have Joint Military Exercise in Meghalaya
The annual Joint Military Exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’ between India and China will be held at Umroi, near Shillong, Meghalaya in December 2019. The two-week long company-level exercise will take place in 2nd half of December while the planning conference to finalise modalities for joint.
3. Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by Parliament
Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2019, for establishing a Central University and Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh has been passed by both the houses of Parliament. The Bill seeks to amend Central Universities Act, 2009, which establishes universities for teaching and research in various states. Moreover, establishment of a Central University and Central Tribal University in State of Andhra Pradesh is obligatory under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
4. Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu became the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel. He overthrew the record set by David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding father and first leader. Netanyahu has spent 4,876 days,more than 13 years, in office as on 20 July, 2019. Netanyahu is the Israel’s youngest-ever Prime Minister as won his first election in 1996, at the age of 46.
5. Kerala to set up India’s first space tech park in Thiruvananthapuram
The Kerala government will set up the country’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram’s Knowledge City. The move is aimed at making the city a manufacturing hub for space-related technology.
A space museum named after former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam will also be a part of the infrastructure. The state government has issued orders to allot the land required for the facility. This will be an added attraction. The entire investment will be made by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
6. A M Naik appointed as Mindtree’s new chairman
Bengaluru-based IT services firm Mindtree Ltd., which has recently been acquired by engineering giant Larsen and Toubro Ltd. has appointed A M Naik (the current chairman of L&T) as the company’s new non-executive chairman , according to an exchange filing by Mindtree. Naik replaces Krishnakumar Natarajan, who resigned as the chairman and a board member from Mindtree on 5 July.
7. Piyush Goyal to launch Global Innovation Index on July 24
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will launch the Global Innovation Index, GII on 24th of this month in New Delhi. The GII has been a charter for assessing the innovation capabilities of national economies worldwide.
An official release said, the launch of GII will reveal the innovation rankings of economies and the findings for this year. This year’s theme is Evaluating the Medical Innovation Scenario of the Next Decade. Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization, Mr. Francis Gurry, will also be present during the event.
8. ISSF Junior World Cup: Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, the calm and happy shooter from Khargone who clinched gold
Last year in July, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar stormed into record books by setting a new junior national record. He had scored 1173 points in 50m rifle three-prone position at the international Meeting of Shooting Hopes at Czech Republic.
Cut to July 2019, he hit a 10.4 in his last shot in the finals of ISSF Junior World Cup to finish with world record score of 459.3 in the same event, going past 458.7 set in the Beijing World Cup earlier this year set by Filip Nepejchal. His gold was not just an individual feat, it also helped India finish the competition on top of standings with a total of 24 medals including 10 gold.
9. Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released Deeksharambh
Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released Deeksharambh, an UGC Guide to Student Induction Programme.
Deeksharambh:
Deeksharambh aims to help new students to adjust and feel comfortable in the new environment. It will also guide them to inculcate the ethos and culture of the institution and help the students to build bonds with other students and faculty members. It will also help them to expose to a sense of larger purpose and self-exploration.
10. New book to tell untold stories from Kargil War
On the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War, a new book will revisit the freezing battle grounds of the 1999 conflict through untold stories of its bravest soldiers. Titled, “Kargil: Untold stories from the War”, the book published by Penguin Random House, is authored by Rachna Bisht Rawat.
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War and this book is our tribute to the many brave soldiers who fought valiantly in the war and gave up their lives to protect the honour of the nation,” said Gurveen Chaddha, commissioning editor, Penguin Random House India.
11. International Chess Day observed on July 20
The International Chess Day is celebrated annually on July 20, the day the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded, in 1924. The idea to celebrate this day as the international chess day was proposed by UNESCO, and it has been celebrated as such since 1966. As recently as 2013, the international chess day was celebrated in 178 countries, according to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
