DAILY GK 17-18 JULY 2025
1.
INDIA’S FIRST TRIBAL GENOME SEQUENCING PROJECT
·
Government of Gujarat has
launched India’s first-ever Tribal Genome
Sequencing Project(TGSP), in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, with an aim to
create a comprehensive Genetic database to understand and tackle inherited diseases among Tribal Communities.
·
The project
aims to build a genetic database, which will enable early identification
and better treatment of inherited diseases such as sickle cell Anaemia, Thalassemia,
and certain Cancers.
·
Under this
initiative, 2,000 individuals from more than 20
tribal communities across 17 districts of Gujarat will undergo Genome Sequencing.
·
The
study design mandates that each tribe include at least one
genetic trio, samples collected from
both parents and a child, to analyze inherited Genetic Traits.
·
Participation is limited to healthy
individuals aged 18 and above, with no visible Blood
Disorders.
2.
LUNGPHUN ROPUI DECLARED AS MONUMENT OF NATIONAL
IMPORTANCE
·
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which
works under the Ministry of Culture (MoC) has officially declared Lungphun Ropui located
in Lianpui village in south-east of Champhai district in Mizoram, as Monument
of National Importance (MNI).
·
This makes Lianpui the 2nd menhir site in
Mizoram to get such recognition after
Vangchhia (also known as Kawtchhuah Ropui).
·
As of July 2025, there are 3,699 ancient monuments and
archaeological sites and remains declared as
Monuments of National Importance.
·
Top
5 states with highest number
of Monuments of National Importance Uttar Pradesh (743), Karnataka (506),
Tamil Nadu (TN) (412), Madhya Pradesh (MP) (291) and Maharashtra (286).
3.
WHO UNVEILS FIRST AI-TRADITIONAL MEDICINE ROADMAP
·
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
released a technical brief titled “Mapping the Application of
Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine “, recognising
India’s leadership in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with
traditional medicine, especially within the AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) system.
·
The WHO unveiled it’s first-ever
roadmap for integrating AI into traditional medicine,
underscoring India’s leadership in this field.
·
India’s initiative to digitise traditional
knowledge through the Traditional
Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is globally
recognised as a leading example of preserving and responsibly utilising
indigenous medical heritage.
·
With this achievement, India became the first
country to establish a
TKDL.
4.
INDIA LEADS THE WORLD IN UPI : IMF REPORT
·
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
released a Fintech note titled “Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability”, authored
by Alexander Copestake, Divya Kirti, and Maria Soledad Martinez Peria.
·
The note highlights India’s digital
transformation, noting that Unified Payment Interface (UPI)
has become the largest retail fast payment system
globally by volume.
·
UPI launched in 2016 is an instant real-time
payment system developed by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) to
facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.
·
Developed on the Immediate Payment Service
(IMPS) framework, UPI now facilitates over 18 billion transactions
monthly, emerging as the leading mode of electronic retail
payments in India.
·
Daily UPI transactions
also saw an uptick, rising to 613 million from 602
million in May 2025.
5.
QS BEST STUDENT CITIES 2026
·
As per the latest rankings, Seoul (South
Korea) has topped the rankings for
the first time with an overall score of 100, Mumbai has
been ranked 98 in the list.
·
Tokyo (Japan) has secured the
second place, London (UK) has dropped to third place.
·
New Delhi is ranked 104, Bangalore 108 and
Chennai is tanked 128.
6.
NEW SITES ON THE UNESCO’S WORLD HERITAGE
LIST
·
The 47th session
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World
Heritage Committee (WHC), was held in Paris,
France.
·
The committee added 26 new
sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL), comprising 21 cultural, 4 natural, and 1
mixed site.
·
It approved the extension of two existing
sites, raising the total number of World Heritage Sites to 1,248 across 170 countries.
·
Maratha
Military Landscapes of India was included as
the 44th World
Heritage Site of India.
·
The committee removed three
African sites such as the Rainforests of the Atsinanana
(Madagascar), Abu Mena (Egypt), and Old Town of Ghadames (Libya) from the List
of World Heritage in Danger.
7.
SWITZERLAND COMPLETES RATIFICATION OF INDIA-EFTA
AGREEMENT
·
Switzerland has completed its
ratification process of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and
Europe Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes
member countries such as Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway, and Switzerland.
·
The agreement, expected to come into force
in October 2025, aims to significantly reduce trade barriers and enhance investment flows
between India and the four EFTA member states.
·
The TEPA is a comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) signed between India and EFTA.
·
The objective of TEPA is to boost
bilateral trade in goods and services, attract investment, enhance market
access, promote sustainable development, and strengthen cooperation.
·
Under the TEPA, EFTA will invest USD
100 billion in India over the next 15 years.
8.
PEN PINTER PRIZE 2025
·
Sudanese-Scottish author Leila Aboulela has
been named the winner of PEN (Poet, Playwright, Editors Essayist, and
Novelist) Pinter Prize 2025, recognizing her literary contributions
that explore themes of faith migration and the lives of Muslim women in
displacement.
·
The award was announced by English PEN, one of the world’s first
non-governmental organisation, at the English PEN Summer Party held at the
October Gallery in London, the United Kingdom (UK).
·
The award was constituted in 2009 by
the English PEN. It aims to recognise the ‘Writers
of Courage’.
·
The award was established in the memory of
playwright Harold Pinter, who was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Literature in 2005.
·
The award is given annually to a writer resident in the UK, Ireland, and the
Commonwealth.
·
The award is given to writers whose
literary work is published only in the
English language.
·
In 2024, renowned Indian Author Arundhati Roy won
the PEN Pinter Prize 2024.
9.
UN POPULATION AWARD
·
Varsha Deshpande, an Indian women’s rights activist from
Maharashtra and founder of Dalit Mahila
Vikas Mandal (DMVM), received the 2025 United Nations (UN)
Population Award in the ‘individual category’ for her committed
work in advancing gender equality and combating gender-biased sex selection in
India.
·
With this, she became the third
Indian individual to receive the award, following former Prime
Minister (PM) in 1983 and renowned industrialist-philanthropist Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (JRD) Tata in
1992.
·
The International
Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) won
the 2025 United Nations (UN) Population Award in the ‘institutional
category’.
·
UN Population Award was established by
the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1981, in
resolution 36/201, and was 1st presented in 1983.
·
Each recipient receives a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.
10.
POLIGRAS MAGIC SKILL AWARD
·
Indian Women’s Hockey team forward
player, Deepika Sehrawat became the 1st
ever Indian player to win Poligras Magic Skill
Award for Year 2024-25.
·
The Poligras Magic Skill Award, given by the International Hockey Federation
(FIH), honors the most skillful and creative moments of the FIH Hockey Pro League season, with winners decided through
a global fan vote.
·
Deepika Sehrawat received this
award for her spectacular solo strike against World No.1 Hockey Team the
Netherlands during the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey
Pro League 2024-25 season held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
·
Victor Wegnez (Belgium) won
the award in ‘men’s category’, for
his excellent midfield play that led to a stunning team goal against Spain.
