DAILY GK: 25, 26 JULY 2021

 DAILY GK: 25, 26 JULY 2021

1. ‘RENEWABLES INTEGRATION IN INDIA 2021’

•          NITI Aayog & International Energy Agency (IEA) jointly launched the ‘Renewables Integration in India 2021’ prepared by NITI Aayog & IEA.

•          The report is based on the outcome of Workshops held with State Governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

•          The workshops were held to understand the specific energy transition challenges faced by the renewable-rich states.

 

2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A CENTRAL UNIVERSITY IN LADAKH

•          The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur informed about the Union cabinet’s approval for the formation of a Central University in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with a project cost of Rs 750 crore.

•          The 1st phase of the university will be completed in 4 years and the jurisdiction of the upcoming Central University will cover the entire Ladakh region, including Leh and Kargil.

 

3. MOSJE FORMULATED SMILE SCHEME

•          Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) initiated a welfare scheme namely ‘SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise’ covering several comprehensive measures for the welfare of beggars.

•          This information was given by Minister of State (MoS) Abbaiah Narayanaswamyin, MoSJE.

 

4. UN ADOPTS 1 ‘VISION FOR EVERYONE’

•          United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a new first-ever resolution on vision named ‘Vision for Everyone’ to make eye care services an integral part of universal health coverage and address the increasing impact of vision loss on sustainable development.

•          Objective: To provide eye care service for at least 1.1 billion people with vision impairment by 2030, especially those who lack eye service.

 

5. CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY IN PHASES

•          The Reserve Bank of India’s Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar stated about the RBI’s plan for the phased introduction of a ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’ (CBDC).

•          A CBDC is a legal tender that would be issued by the central bank in a digital form.

•          It is exchangeable one-to-one with fiat currency and it would appear as a liability (currency in circulation) on a central bank’s balance sheet.

 

6. SBI’S NATIONAL CORPORATE BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT

•          State Bank of India (SBI) selected Paisalo Digital as National Corporate Business Correspondent of the Bank.

•          It has been selected to ensure greater financial inclusion and to increase the delivery of its financial services.

•          As a Business Correspondent (BC), Paisalo Digital will provide banking services through Kiosks.

 

7. ALEXANDER DALRYMPLE AWARD

•          Indian Chief Hydrographer – Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar was honoured with the ‘Alexander Dalrymple award’, a top award of the United Kingdom.

•          For his distinguished contribution towards hydrography, he was listed for the award in 2019, but the award ceremony was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

 

8. NASA SELECTS SPACEX FOR EUROPA CLIPPER MISSION

•          US Space Agency NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) for the Europa Clipper Mission.

•          It will be Earth’s 1st mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

•          The Europa Clipper mission will be launched in October 2024 aboard Falcon Heavy Rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

 

9. INCOME TAX DAY OBSERVED

•          The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) celebrated the 161st Income Tax Day or Aaykar Diwas on July 24, 2021.

•          It was on July 24, 1860 that income tax was introduced in India by Sir James Wilson to compensate the British government for the losses incurred during the First War of Independence in 1857.