July Refresher:
1.Radhika Menon will become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for 2016, from the International Maritime Organisation. Captain Menon was nominated by the Government of India, for the rescue of all seven fishermen from the fishing boat Durgamma, which was adrift following engine failure and loss of anchor in severe weather.
2.Centre has constituted a cyber cell to check the online abuse and harassment of women and children on social media platforms. Women and Child Development Ministery has taken the decision as it has got several complaints from women.
3.Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has launched Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) portal “http://kvk.icar.gov.in” in New Delhi. The portal aims to provide information and advisory to the farmers and facilitate online monitoring of the KVK activities.
4.The Kerala government has announced to impose 14.5 % tax on junk food on the lines of ‘Fat Tax’ imposed on such food items. The need for the so-called ‘fat tax’ is explained by the fact the state currently has the second-highest obesity rate for children in India.
5.The government will carry out a drive to clean ten iconic places in the country as part of a pilot project under the ‘Swachh Bharat mission’. The places which have been selected are Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir, Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath temple in Orissa, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, Manikarnika Ghat in Uttar Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Kamakhya Temple in Assam.
6.The West Bengal Government has taken up a project to set up three biotechnology hubs across the state to bring in more biotechnology innovations to the State. The three proposed biotechnology hubs will come in Bardhaman, Kalimpong and Medinipur districts.
7.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed an agreement with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi-nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions. The initiative is aimed at achieving synergy between DRDO and IITs for channelising the research efforts towards developing products and technologies.
8.IDFC Mutual Fund has announced the appointment of Mr. Vishal Kapoor as its chief executive officer. Kapoor will be responsible for driving the accelerated growth of IDFC AMC.
9.Noted Pakistani philanthropist, social activist, ascetic and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi (92-year) has passed away in Karachi.Edhi was the founder and head of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan and known as Angel of Mercy, Pakistan’s ‘Father Teresa’ and was considered country’s most respected figure.
10.Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy has sworn in as the acting Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. With this he becomes 18th Governor to be sworn in as Governor of Tripura. He has been given the additional charge of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh during the leave of absence of incumbent Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa.
11.Portugal lifted the Euro 2016 football championship at Saint-Denis in Paris beating France 1-0. Substitute Eder scored in extra-time to give Portugal a win at their first major international title despite losing captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to injury.
12.World Population Day is being observed on 11 July. The theme this year is investing in Teenage Girls.
13.Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL). Mr. Gupta, who is from Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), was working as Director (Operations and Commercial) from September 30, 2013 till his elevation.
14.Former Indian professional football coach Amal Dutta (86-year) passed away in his Kolkata residence. He was the first professional football coach of the country.
15.Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Srinivasan K Swamy would be the recipient of this year’s The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for outstanding contribution in the advertising industry.
16.Nepal’s Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) unanimously endorsed Sushila Karki as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. With this, Karki has become the first woman to lead Nepal’s judiciary. She will be appointed to the post by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
17.India and Tanzania on 10 July 2016 inked five agreements to enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. These agreements were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tanzania from 9 July to 10 July 2016.
18.Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced to launch the postal payment bank from September this year. Postmen across the country will be provided 1.30 lakh hand-held devices and will function more like mobile ATMs in the rural belt of the country.
19.Uttar Pradesh has created a world record by planting more than five crore saplings in just ten hours. The forest department of the state started the largest statewide plantation drive in 24 hours from 10 ?AM.
20.Delhi govt has approved a proposal to continue 50% subsidy on electricity bills in national capital. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
21.Sushila Karki has become the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal after taking oath of office and secrecy at a special programme organised at the Presidential Residence, Sheetal Niwas. She will head the judiciary till June 6, 2017.
22.The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda has launched a nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) to check child diarrhoeal deaths in New Delhi. It will be observed from 11th to 23rd July, 2016 across the country.
23.According to Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu Swachh survey will be extended to 500 cities, which have population over one lakh.States, cities, panchayats should give awards so that it becomes a movement.
24.Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunilkumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. Her book “4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala” has been chosen for the award in the ‘Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook’ section.
25.Indian Hockey Men's’ & Women's‘squads for Rio Olympics have been announced. Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh will captain the Men’s team and the experienced Sushila Chanu will lead the Women’s squad.
26.Indian Navy has commissioned INS Karna, an independent base of Marine Commandos (MARCOS) at Bheemunipatanam Naval Base, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. INS Karna has been commissioned by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba.
27.The Income Tax department has widened the ATM-based validation system for filing of online Returns by taxpayers. The department has included Axis Bank to enhance the paperless regime of filing the annual Income Tax returns.
28.The chief executive and managing director (MD) of the second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank Aditya Puri has been ranked as the best banking CEO in Asia by the investor community. The bank’s chief financial officer Sashi Jagdishan has been ranked as the best CFO.
29.The Supreme Court ordered the restoration of former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki’s Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh. A five-judge constitution bench pronounced the verdict on a bunch of petitions dealing with discretionary powers of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa to summon or advance the assembly session.
30.Union minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptullah tendering her resignation and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi being given independent charge of that Ministry. G.M. Siddheshwara, Davangere MP and Minister of State for Heavy Industries have also resigned.
31.Indian Railways has launched time-tabled Auto Express from Gurgaon to Nidvanda to ensure faster delivery of cargo. It is the first time-tabled auto car freight train service between Gurgaon and Nidvanda (Bangalore).
32.Maharashtra police has launched four mobile apps for timely intervention into emergency situations. The four applications Pratisaad Ask, Police Mitra, Vahanchoritakrar and Railway helpline app were launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur.
33.India and Bangladesh have signed a landmark deal for the construction of a 1,320 Megawatt coal fired power plant. It is the biggest project under bilateral cooperation that would mark the transition from electricity export to generation level.
34.Conservative party leader Theresa May (59-year) became Prime Minister of United Kingdom. She succeeds David Cameron, who had resigned in the wake of Brexit referendum that ended his six-year-long stint as the Prime Minister of Britain.
35.Senior IPS officer Ashok Patnaik has been appointed as CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).Patnaik is currently serving as Additional Director in the Intelligence Bureau and he will continue to hold this post till his superannuation in 2018.
36.Nabam Tuki resumed his duties as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh at Arunachal Bhavan in New Delhi. As of December 15 last the Congress had 47 MLAs in a House of 60, with the BJP having 11 and two Independents. Of the 47 Congress MLAs, 14 were disqualified by the Speaker.
37.K V R Murthy has taken over as chairman-cum-managing director of the Jute Corporation of India Limited from July 2. His appointment is for a period of five years or till the date of his superannuation. Earlier,he was associated with Eastern Railways in the capacity of Chief Commercial Manager.
38.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved disinvestment of 15% paid-up equity in the National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCL) through the Offer for Sale route. According to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the government hopes to earn over one thousand seven hundred crore rupees from the disinvestment.
39.Revised norms of ticket cancellation charges and bars airlines from levying additional amount for refund process are coming into force from August 1. According to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju the cancellation amount will not to exceed basic fare plus fuel surcharge.
40.The first direct bus service between Pokhara (Nepal) and New Delhi (India) has been launched to connect South Asia’s two important cities. This bus service was flagged off by Nepal Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet and India’s ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae from Pokhara (Nepal). The bus service was launched as per the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) signed between both countries.
41.Spanish-made Talgo has become the fastest train in the country. In a trial conducted by Indian Railways on the Mathura-Palwal route, Tago clocked a speed of 180 kms per hour and covered 84 kms in 38 minutes.
42.Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) is introducing ‘Paperless SIP‘ that would allow mutual fund investors to make transactions through various modes of payments. The additional feature on BSE’s mutual fund platform – StAR MF – would allow MF distributors to register SIPs for their clients, who can pay SIP amounts through various modes.
43.State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), (IIT) Bombay’s technology business incubator, to promote innovation by startups in the financial sector. Both the parties will identify FinTech startups that have products or applications to cater to the financial sector and can help SBI explore opportunities to enhance the synergy for their banking services.
44.The government has appointed IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi (1987-batch) Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for 5 year term. His appointment was made by the Prime Minister-headed Appointment Committee of the Cabinet. The post was lying vacant since December 2014.
45.The World Youth Skills Day (15th July) has been observed globally with the theme Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment. On the occasion, United Nations organised the event facilitated by the UN Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi.
46.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money headed by retired Justice M B Shah has recommended the ban on cash transactions of above 3 lakh rupees in a day and a separate law to declare such transactions as illegal and punishable. It has also suggested upper ceiling of cash holding at 15 lakh rupees to curb illegal wealth in the economy. The SIT felt that the cash transaction limit can only succeed if there is a limitation on cash holding. If any person or industry required holding more cash, it may obtain necessary permission from the Commissioner of Income Tax of the area.
47.In an effort to improve customer service, the RBI has asked banks to exchange up to 20 pieces of soiled currency notes with a maximum value of Rs 5,000 over the counter, free of charge. If the number of notes to be exchanged is more than 20, banks can levy service charge.
48.The international airline Emirates based in Dubai has won the top honors at Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. According to a survey conducted by Skytrax, Emirates is the world’s best airline for the year 2016.
49.Hockey Olympian Joe Antic (90-year) has passed away in Mumbai. He represented the country in the Rome Games where Pakistan won the final.
50.India has been acknowledged as the first country in the world to become YAWS-free. Union Health Minister JP Nadda received an official citation from the World Health Organisation and the UNICEF for Elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus and for being YAWS-free.
51.The ruins of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara (old Nalanda University) of Bihar has been included in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Now, Nalanda University ruins located at Nalanda district has become the second World Heritage Site in Bihar after Bodhgaya’s Mahabodhi temple.
52.Madhya Pradesh became the first state in India to have ‘Happiness Department’ that will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness on the lines of Bhutan. The decision was taken by the state cabinet meeting presided by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Happiness Department will will work under a working committee headed by a chairman and this committee will evaluate the state’s gross happiness.
53.The country’s first industrial park exclusively for women entrepreneurs has been launched by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat at the Federation House. The move is intended to attract more women entrepreneurs and help them to initiate start-ups in the state.
54.Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has commissioned another 250 MW unit based on eco-friendly Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology, using low-quality coal as the primary fuel. The unit has been commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company 2×250 MW thermal power project, located at Padva village in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat. This is the third 250 MW unit based on CFBC technology, commissioned by BHEL.
55.The world’s first hospital on a train The Lifeline Express (Magic Train) of India, celebrates 25 years of service to the poor and underprivileged masses of rural India. In 1991 there were 3 coaches in the train which provided medical facilities to poor and rural people where there were no hospitals available.
56.Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan endured challenging conditions to wear down their spirited rivals as India took a comfortable 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Asia|Oceania group I Davis Cup tie against South Korea in Chandigarh. The 21-year-old Ramkumar, ranked 217, put the hosts ahead in his Davis Cup debut when Seong Chan Hong conceded the first singles due to cramps in his right thigh as the Indian was serving for the match.
57.India made a big leap of 11 places to occupy 152nd spot in the latest world football rankings issued by FIFA. Overall, Argentina remain on top, despite losing to Chile in the Copa America Centenario summit clash.
58.Yatra Online, Inc. and Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corporation on 14 July 2016 entered into a definitive merger agreement. The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise value of 218 million dollars (1458 crore rupees). Yatra in its statement said that it intends to be listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "YATRA" following completion of the transaction.
59.Tata Advanced System (TASL) and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company on 14 July 2016 signed an agreement to work together in support of India’s aviation and defense modernization initiatives. The agreement was inked with an emphasis on ‘Make in India’.
60.Kerala on 16 July 2016 started observing Ramayana month in the temples. In Malayalam it is termed as the Ramayana Masam. The Ramayana Month starts with the commencement of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’. During this month the temples and homes of the state recites Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu written by medieval devotional poet Thunjath Ezhuthachan for the 30 days. Ezhuthachan is regarded as the father of Malayalam literature.
61.A book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography by Margaret Alva was in news in the second week of July 2016. Via this book, Alva narrates her forty-year career under four Prime Ministers, namely Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. It also tells about her transition from politician to Governor.
62.Pema Khandu (36) of Congress Party was sworn in as the 10th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. With this,he became the youngest Chief Minister in the country. He was administered the oath to office and secrecy by Governor Tathagata Roy at the Rajbhavan in Itanagar. Besides, Chowna Mein was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
63.The Union Commerce Ministry has launched an e-marketplace portal for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments. It was launched by the Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.
64.The eleventh edition of the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM11) or ASEM2016 has issued Ulaanbaatar Declaration. The declaration has reaffirmed ASEM’s commitment for greater partnership through informal political dialogue and initiatives in economic and socio-cultural fields. It also has expressed its commitment for united fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
65.BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu has resigned from house. Earlier, Cricketer-turned-politician Sindhu was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April this year.
66.Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July (Mandela’s birthday). The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.
67.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an inter-regulatory Working Group to study the entire gamut of regulatory issues relating to Financial Technology and Digital Banking in India. 12 members Working Group will be headed by Sudarshan The airline will focus on short-haul services with ATR72-500 aircraft.Sen,Executive Director of RBI.
68.The fourth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bonds scheme opened for subscription. The bond can be purchased from the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, besides all Bank branches, select Post Offices and the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited.
69.Low cost airline with pink and white themed Air Carnival has been launched its operations with its maiden flight from Coimbatore to Chennai. Air Carnival is the subsidiary of Coimbatore Marine College Group of Institutions, which was established in 2002 in Coimbatore. The airline will focus on short-haul services with ATR72-500 aircraft.
70.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered immediate banning of diesel vehicles more than 10 years old in Delhi to deal with pollution in the national capital. Earlier, the tribunal had asked Delhi to ban such vehicles saying that pollution levels are at alarming levels.
71.Over fourteen lakh LPG connections have been released to the women of BPL families under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the scheme is currently under operation in 487 districts of 17 states.
72.Dabur has tied up with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO’s) unit Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh for sustainable cultivation of high-altitude medicinal plants in Ladakh. s per this deal, both organizations will educate farmers and help enhance livelihood opportunities in the cold desert area. This is the first step towards the goal of implementing conservation & environmental development benefits in Leh-Ladakh. Under this tie-up with the unit of DRDO, Dabur will also impart training to the villagers on sustainable cultivation of herbs.
73.India has defeated South Korea 4-1 in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I in Chandigarh. Playing his first Davis Cup singles match in four years, Rohan Bopanna edged past Hong Chung in a tough match. India will now make its third attempt to qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group.
74.Dipika Pallikal Karthik dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the women’s title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship in Mumbai. The men’s crown was captured by title holder and top seed Saurav Ghosal, who created history by winning it for the 11th times. He beat fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu (11-7 7-11 3-11 11-8 14-12) in five hard-fought games.
75.Senior IAS officer (1986-batch) Guruprasad Mohapatra has been appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). Earlier, he was working as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce from the past two years.
76.The World Bank has confirmed New York University economics professor Paul Romer (60-yers) its next chief economist. He will replace Kaushik Basu, a former Indian government economics adviser who is retiring.
77.India’s first e-court (paperless court) was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad . High Court of Hyderabad is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It has been inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.
78.The Indian Railways has initiated process to launch the Terrain Imaging for Diesel Drivers-Infrared Enhanced Optical and Radar Assisted (Tri-NETRAKhandelwal has become the first Indian and Asian to win the Mr. World title at the competition. ) system to avoid train accidents. The system will be installed on locomotives for enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather.
79.Government has allocated 22,915 crore rupees capital to 13 public sector banks for the current fiscal. Government has undertaken an exercise to assess the capitalization needs of Public Sector Banks in line with the announcements made under the Union Budget.
80.Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments in New Delhi. The portal has been developed by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) which works under the Commerce Ministry and carries out the procurement.
81.Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner has been appointed as the UNESCO Artist for Peace by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. He was appointed after the opening ceremony of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
82.Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum (80-year) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She is known for her singing scores of songs, duets and ghazals for Bollywood, mainly during the (1950-70s).
83.Pakistan’s spinner Yasir Shah has scaled the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings becoming the first Pakistani bowler to do so since Mushtaq Ahmed in December 1996. He reached the number-one spot after bowling Pakistan to a 75-run victory over England in the first Test at Lord’s.
84.Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian to win the coveted title of Mr. World at a grand ceremony at Southport Theatre, Floral Hall, The Promenade, South port U.K. He received a cash prize of $50,000 on winning this celebrated title.
85.A Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World News Komla Dumor Award for 2016. Didi Akinyelure is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria and presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent.
86.A Canadian university will conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans in the coming days. Development of the Zika vaccine has been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.
87.All Gram Panchayats in the country will be connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) by 2018. According to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prashad , centre plans to establish a network infrastructure by connecting all 2 lakh 50 thousand Gram Panchayats through OFC under Digital India Programme.
88.Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner of India , Mr. A. K. Joti and Mr. O.P. Rawat, Election Commissioners of India launched the “SVEEP Portal” in Hindi language. SVEEP Portal is a web based application, accessible to the Chief Electoral Officers and all other stakeholders and serves as a window for easy accessibility of various initiatives of the Commission.
89.India will host the BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue on 26th of this month at Patna in Bihar. The discussion will take forward the Policy Planning talks initiated under Russia’s Shairmanship last year in line with this year’s theme of Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions.
90.Noted Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid (56-year) passed away due to multiple organ failure. Md. Shahid was the part of the Indian hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was known for his dribbling skills and was considered one of India’s greatest hockey players.
91.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its global economic growth forecast for next year after the British people voted to leave the European Union. The world economy will expand by 3.4% in 2017, down 0.1 % point from their April report.
92.Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as Australia’s prime minister for another term after a narrow election victory with budget repair and a public vote on same sex marriage among his top priorities. He is the 29th and current Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Liberal Party.
93.Former South Africa fast bowler Steve Elworthy (51-year) has been appointed as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales in 2019.Mr. Elworthy will also have an oversight of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
94.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup. The decision was made following a meeting with cabinet ministers and top security advisers in Ankara.
95.The cabinet approved the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The cost of the project for the establishment of the new AIIMS in Gorakhpur shall be Rs. 1011 crore.
96.The Indian Institute of Technology Council has decided to provide opportunity to eligible foreign students to study in the IITs. The focus will be on the neighbouring countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. Under this initiative, the advanced joint entrance examination will be held in these countries to pick up eligible students for admission.
97.The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked applicants to provide Aadhaar number while applying for any UGC fellowship or scholarship. Aadhaar will be used as an identifier for availing benefits of the UGC scholarship/fellowship schemes.
98.Noted writer Amitav Ghosh’s latest book “The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable” is an extended essay of sorts on climate change. The book addresses the challenges of representing the complexity of climate change in literature and the responsibility of writers to document the extreme reality humans are now facing. Ghosh examines the inability at the level of literature, history and politics to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.
99.NASA has announced the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life.
100.The oldest litigant of Babri Mosque Ram Janmbhumi dispute of Ayodhya, Mohammad Hashim Ansari (96-year) has passed away. He was ailing for sometime due to heart-related ailments, breathed his last at his house in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh). Ansari’s father was a tailor who owned a shop in the Shringar Haat area.
101.Union Government has promoted director general and mission director of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Ajay Bhushan Pandey as its chief executive officer (CEO). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Mr. Pandey. Pandey is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Maharashtra cadre.He has been serving as Director General of the UIDAI since August 2015.
102.Federal Bank has signed an agreement with Reliance Jio Money for one-click payment service. Reliance Jio Money is a wallet application that will be launched soon for mobile devices where Federal Bank will enable a direct payment option for its customers.
103.Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has joined hands with the State Bank of India to chalk out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, including internet ticketing and unreserved ticketing system. The MoU was signed by IRCTC CMD A K Manocha and Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, SBI.
104.The Odisha government has constituted a judicial commission to study the functioning of the Puri Jagannath Temple. The one-man commission, headed by retired Orissa High Court judge Bimal Prasad Das will recommend reforms for smooth management of the Shree Jagannath Temple and propagation of the Jagannath culture.
105.Centre has constituted a committee to prepare Draft Bill on Ganga to deal with all the issues related to the River. The Act should have provisions to ensure cleanliness and uninterrupted e-flow of Ganga. Justice Girdhar Malviya (Retd.) will be the Chairman of the committee.
106.India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA) that will come into force on 1st October 2016. The Social Security Agreement (SSA) will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business linkages.
107.Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards in recognition of its trendsetting marketing initiatives. The two gold medals for ‘Marketing Media‘ are in the categories of ‘Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media‘ and ‘E-Newsletter‘, which were clinched by the successful ‘Visit Kerala‘ television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter respectively.
108.French cyclist Dominique Arnaud (60-year) has passed away due to cancer in Dax, Aquitaine, France . He rode in eleven editions of the Tour de France, which is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France.
109.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed a Russian appeal against a ban imposed by athletics governing body the IAAF over state-run doping, barring the country’s track and field team from the Rio Games. The CAS Panel has confirmed the validity of the IAAF’s decision to apply Rules which state that athletes whose national federation is suspended by the IAAF are ineligible for competitions held under the IAAF Rules.
110.Corporation Bank has launched a new facility called ‘Green PIN’. This is an online module for generation of Personal Identification Number (PIN) for credit card holders. The facility enables credit card users to generate PIN online.
111.HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company and Shamrao Vithal Co-operative (SVC) Bank have announced their bancassurance agency partnership to provide range of non-life insurance offerings to the customers of the bank. The partnership combines HDFC ERGO’s experience in introducing innovative non-life insurance products with SVC Bank’s customer base across various States.
112.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly start monitoring banks on issues relating to customer rights in five broad areas. According to RBI Executive Director U S Paliwal the areas on which the regulator will be conducting surveys and supervision at various banks are right to privacy, right to fair treatment & transparency, fair and honest dealing, right to suitability and right to grievance redress & compensation.
113.BJP Lok Sabha member Ganesh Singh has been appointed the new Chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Land Acquisition Bill. He will replaced S S Ahluwalia, who became Minister of the State for Parliamentary Affairs in reshuffle of the council of ministers.
114.Legendary modern Indian artist Syed Haider Raza (94-year) passed away in New Delhi following a prolonged illness. He is an internationally acclaimed painter and was also honoured with the Padma Shri.
115.India has been ranked a low 110th out of 149 countries on Sustainable Development index (SDI). The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively. The aim of creating this index is to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals progress and ensuring accountability.
116.The Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) focusing on Mother Teresa’s life and teachings is going to be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries. The festival will be kicked off from Kolkata on August 26 after which it will travel all over the world for the next six months.
117.The department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has organized a day-long conference on Startup India in New Delhi. The conference has presided over by commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
118.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, along with Union Ministers Kalraj Mishra and Venkaiah Naidu have laid the foundation stone for a Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises technology centre under Technology Centre Systems Programme (TCSP) at Pudi in Visakhapatnam district. Its main focus is to support industries, particularly MSMEs, through access to advanced manufacturing technologies, skilling manpower and providing technical and business advisory support to entrepreneurs.
119.A three-day meeting between Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has begun in Agartala today to sort out problems along the border. The meeting is a 21-member BGB delegation, led by Brig Gen Mohammad Habibul Karim, arrived in Agartala.
120.Kerala Government has launched Kochi Water Metro project, the first ever Water Metro project of the country. It was launched by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kochi, Kerala. The project aims to provide water connectivity to people living between islands in the Kochi agglomeration area and the city. The Water Metro project would be dedicated to the nation in four years.
121.Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated 114-km long Rameswaram-Mana Madurai route as the country's first green rail corridor with zero toilet discharge section. Accordingly, 10 passenger trains consisting of 286 coaches moving in the section have been provided with bio-toilets enabling the rail corridor free from the discharge of human waste on the track.
122.A motorcycle rally named Ride for Accessibility was organized in the national capital today with a message to empower differently abled persons, Divyangs. The rally which saw 500 young men and women motorcycle riders was flagged off at India Gate by Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
123.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a pilot project of e-complaint system on an experimental basis in Pune. After the pilot project, the system will be launched across the state within 8 months. It has been launched during the concluding ceremony of 14th Maharashtra Police Duty Meet at SRPF ground at Ramtekdi.
124.The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has revamped its board, appointing three new public interest directors including chairman of Manipal Global Education Services and Infosys' former director Mohandas Pai, former secretary at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Naved Masood and KPMG India's former deputy chief executive Dinesh Kanabar on the NSE's board as public interest directors. The board of the National Stock Exchange of India has 10 directors with Ashok Chawla, former chief of Competition Commission of India, as its chairman till January. He took charge from S B Mathur as NSE board chairman in May.
125.Renowned Music Director and singer Bappi Lahiri and Critically-acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghose have been honoured with 'Mahanayak award' by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. The award has been conferred to them on the occasion of 36th death anniversary (24th July) of Uttam Kumar. The awards were instituted in 2012 in the memory of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar who is revered in this part of India as "Mahanayak (Great hero)". In addition to Ghose and Lahiri, director-actor Kaushik Ganguly was also honoured with the award for best director.
126.India’s Neeraj Chopra has won the javelin gold at the IAAF World under-20 athletics championship in Poland, setting a world record of 86.48m while South African Johan Gobler (80.59m) took the silver and Anderson Peters (79.65m) of Granada finished third. With this, the 18 years old has created history by becoming first Indian Junior athlete to create a World Record in Poland.
127.The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 25 projects under the Swadesh Darshan scheme worth Rs.2048 Crore. The scheme is launched in January 2015. For the North Eastern States, the Ministry has sanctioned 9 projects worth Rs. 821 Crores covering all the 8 states.
128.Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix title of Formula One. It his overall fourth Hungarian Grand Prix title after winning it in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013.
129.Kolkata-based diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd has named Sanjiv Puri as Chief Operating Officer of the company. He has become a successor to chairman YC Deveshwar, as Mr. Deveshwar is all set to step down from his post in February 2017. But he will continue as a non-executive chairman for three years.
130.Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain has defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 7-5 to win the Swiss Open Gstaad – 2016. Lopez was the winner of the 2004 Vienna Open, the 2010 Johannesburg Open and the Eatsbourne open in 2013 and 2014.
131.Promising Indian shooter Manavaditya Rathore son of Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has won the trap bronze medal in the Champion of Champions match at the Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. In the Champion of Champions event, the medallists of the three Junior World Cups of the year compete against each other.
132.Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has resigned from his post the no-confidence motion against him in the Parliament. Oli, who became PM last October heading Nepal’s eighth government in the past 10 years, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government.
133.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of five crore rupees on Bank of Baroda in the alleged Rs. 6,100-crore forex related irregularities that were observed in October. Various irregularities by bank such as non-submission and inordinate delays in filing of Suspicious Transaction Reports, besides opening of accounts by several entities without fulfilling KYC norms, were noticed by RBI.
134.Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on 26th July every year in honour of the Kargil War’s Heroes.On this day in 1999 that the Indian Armed Forces, as part of Operation Vijay, recaptured Indian posts in Kargil which had been occupied by Pakistan’s army.
135.Noted archaeologist Dr. Budha Rashmi Mani has been appointed as Director General (DG) of National Museum. He has been appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mani will have tenure of three years or till attainment of age seventy.
136.Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has launched Kochi water Metro project in Kochi, Kerala. It is first ever Water Metro project in the country. It will be operational in two years. The aim of the water Metro project is to provide water connectivity to people who are living between islands in the Kochi agglomeration area and the city. It will be built at an estimated cost of 747 crores Rupees funded by German Development Bank (Kfw).
137.Booking tickets of Indian railway through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website can avail a travel accident cover of 10 lakh rupees at a premium of one rupee from September 2016. According to the IRCTC Chairman-cum-Managing Director AK Manocha the insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways in case of accidents to valid ticket holders.
138.An outstanding violinist Avasarala Kanyakumari will get the prestigious 2016 Sangita Kalanidhi Award. The executive committee of the Academy has unanimously chosen her for its coveted award.
139.Indian e-commerce company Flipkart Ltd has acquired Jabong through its unit Myntra in a cut-price deal that values the online fashion store at $70 million. Jabong is an Indian fashion and lifestyle e-commerce portal founded by Praveen Sinha,Lakshmi Potluri,Arun Chandra Mohan. Jabong portal sells apparel, footwear, fashion accessories, beauty products, fragrances, home accessories and other fashion and lifestyle products.
140.Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has become the number one Test bowler again, after taking 7 wickets in the 1st Test against West Indies. He has returned to the top of the charts by replacing Pakistani leg spinner Yasir Shah. He moved one spot to achieve 876 rating points while Yasir slipped 4 positions.
141.Dakshayani, 86, is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest living elephant. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) - the owner of the elephant - has already written to the Guinness authorities staking claim to Dakshayani being the oldest living elephant in the world.
142.Bezwada Wilson and TM Krishna have been conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016. The four other awardees for 2016 are Conchita Carpio-Morales (Philippines), Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia), Vientiane Rescue(Laos) and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Japan).
143.Chief Minister of Odisa Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs. 60 lakh cash for six sports persons of the state who have qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016. The six sports persons are Dutee Chand (sprinter-100 m) and Srabani Nanda (sprinters-200m) and four hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra.
144.Dakshayani (86-year) is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest living elephant. TDB has written to the Guinness authorities staking claim to Dakshayani being the oldest living elephant in the world.
145.The Union Government has approved 1,600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative “Himayat” programme. In this Himayat programme, youths from rural and urban areas of J&K would be imparted with training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years.
146.Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar (75-year) will step down as Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president within six months. Earlier,RM Lodha Committee had recommended that there be caps of 70 years on age and duration of tenure of 9 years of elected office bearers and state associations.
147.The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill has been passed by Lok Sabha. Earlier, the bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha during this monsoon session of Parliament. This bill prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations except in family business, with the provision for the imprisonment of up to two years for any violation.
148.Eminent diplomat Arundhati Ghose (76-year) has passed away at her residence in Delhi. Ghose led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996.
149.State bank of india (SBI) has used Indian Oil Corporation’s ‘Kisan Seva Kendras’ to extend banking facilities to farmers across the country. Indian Oil Corporation has set up 6,500 Kisan Seva Kendrass in rural and remote areas to provide access to the agricultural inputs like diesel, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides to farmers.
150.World Hepatitis Day is being observed world wide on 28 July to raise global awareness of Hepatitis and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The theme of this year is ‘Elimination‘. This year sees the first ever World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, which sets a goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
151.Haryana Government has decided to set up de-addiction centres in the premises of Jails of the State. In first phase, such centres would be set up at Central Jail in Hisar and District Jail Rohtak .
152.Kolkata’s football club ‘East Bengal‘ has announced, this year’s Bharat Gaurav award to legendary athlete Milkha Singh. Singh will be honored with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day, 1st of August.
153.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed 27 crore rupees penalty on 13 public and private sector banks including PNB and HDFC Bank for Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act violations and Know your customer (KYC) lapses. RBI asked banks to ensure strict compliance with the guidelines. RBI had undertaken a scrutiny on advance import remittances in 21 banks in October and November last year.
154.State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a payment system at its ATMs which will allow the account holders to transfer the money by using the mobile phone number as an identifier. This payment facility system works on instant money transfer (IMT) platform. The IMT is a unique payment system launched by Eempays Payment Systems Pvt Ltd.
155.Agricultural scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao (89-year) has passed away in Hyderabad following a brief illness. Rao was well-known for basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of several dry land crops. He earned the title of ‘Father of Hybrid Sorghum’ in India.
156.Eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi (90-year) has passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata. She was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Vibhushan, Jnanpith and Magsaysay Award among several others.
157.The International Olympic Committee’s new television channel (IOC) will launch after the end of Rio Olympics, 21st August. According to the IOC President Thomas Bach the launch of the channel is the start of an exciting new journey to connect the worldwide audience with the Olympic Movement all year round.
158.Eminent diplomat Arundhati Ghose (76-year) has passed away at her residence in Delhi. Ghose led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996.
159.India has been ranked a low 110th out of 149 countries on Sustainable Development index (SDI). The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively. The aim of creating this index is to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals progress and ensuring accountability.
160.Booking tickets of Indian railway through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website can avail a travel accident cover of 10 lakh rupees at a premium of one rupee from September 2016. According to the IRCTC Chairman-cum-Managing Director AK Manocha the insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways in case of accidents to valid ticket holders.
161.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of A K Mittal as Chairman Railway Board (with effect from August 1, 2016) for a period of two years. Mittal is a 1976-batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service.
162.The European Commission appoints has appointed Michel Barnier, as its Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom’s exit from the bloc. He will take up his post on October 1. Barnier is former French Financial Services Commissioner. Earlier, he has served as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in French government. He had the reforms in the banking union, financial sector and digital single market in the EU.
163.International Tiger Day (29th July) is being celebrated world wide to raise awareness for tiger conservation and to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. International Tiger Day was created in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit with the aim to double the Tiger population by 2022.
164.Hillary Clinton ( 68-year) accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president with a message stressing the need to unite in order to confront the nation’s challenges. Clinton is the first woman ever nominated for president by a major US political party.
165.3rd India Education Fair has begun in Dhaka. Over 35 premier Indian educational institutions including schools, colleges, and technical institutes under one roof to provide educational opportunities to Bangladeshi youth. The event has been Inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Sringla.
166.Four new writers have got the Bharatiya Jnanpith’s 11th Navlekhan award for the year 2015 . Amlendu Tiwari (Parityakt), Balram Kawant (Sara Morila), Om Naagar (Nib Ke Chire Se) and Tasneem Khan (Yeh Mere Rahnuma). All awardees were chosen by a selection panel headed by senior writer and journalist Madhusudan Anand, comprising eminent literary figures Vishnu Nagar, Govind Prasad and Om Nischal.
167.An android mobile app has been launched by West Bangal Tourism Department,aiming to attract the travelers across the world. This app is based on the theme of “Experience Bengal“. It would be loaded with facilities like maps and directions.
168.The Russian Olympic team has gathered at an airport in Moscow’s Sheremetevo airport to fly to Brazil for the Rio Olympics.A total of 106 Russian athletes from 7 sports had been excluded from the national team for the Rio Olympic Games over the doping scandal.
169.Germany football captain Bastian Schweinsteiger (31-year) has retired from the international football. He plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United and the German national team. He was an instrumental player for Germany when they won the World Cup in 2014, scored 24 goals and earned 120 caps for his nation.
170.Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale was sworn in as the new chief justice of Allahabad High Court. The oath of office was administered by Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik.Prior to his appointment Chief Justice Bhosale was serving as acting chief justice of high court of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
171.Jagadip Narayan Singh has been appointed as Chief Secretary of Gujarat. Singh has a Masters in International Studies from Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Delhi, MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines and a Ph.D in Political Economy from the M S University, Vadodara.
172.Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari was sworn in as the new chief justice of Patna High Court by Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind at a function in Raj Bhawan. He is the 39th Chief Justice of the Patna High Court,would retire on October 29, 2016. He has done B.Sc. from Darrang College, Tezpur and completed graduation in law from Tezpur Law College.
173.The Mohun Bagan FC has conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna to the legendary Indian Footballer Syed Nayeemuddin. He became 16th recipient of this prestigious award. Nayeemuddin had captained the Indian national football team which had won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games.
174.The Haryana state Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister OP Dhankar has launched ‘Pashudhan Bima Yojana’ in the State at a function in Jhajjar. Dhankar has also presented documents of the Pashudhan Bima Yojana to cattle breeders and urged them to take maximum benefit of this scheme.
175.Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid foundation stone for construction of a new Railway Station at Imphal. According to Mr. Prabhu ,the project will require about 90 thousand crore rupees.
176.Pulitzer Prize winner author James Alan McPherson (72-year) has passed away. He was an American short story writer and essayist. James’s anthology Elbow Room won the Pulitzer for fiction in the year 1978.
177.Rajjat Barjatya, MD & CEO of ‘Rajshri Media’ has passed away in Mumbai due to cancer. Rajshri Productions was founded by Sooraj and Rajjat’s grandfather Tarachand Barjatya.
178.Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has signed an agreement with private sector lender Axis Bank as its bancassurance partner where in the bank will distribute LIC’s products to its customers. In the first phase, bank will distribute LIC’s life insurance products across its branches in West Bengal, Bangalore and Haryana.
179.Satish Mathur was appointed as Director General of Maharashtra Police on 20 July 2016 by Maharashtra Government. Mathur, the IPS of 1981-batch, is due to retire in June 2017. Mathur will succeed Praveen Dixit, the IPS of 1977 batch, who is retiring from on 31 July 2016 on superannuation. Dixit was serving in the post since September 2015.
180.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the Run for Rio event in New Delhi to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country.
181.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has organised a course for umpires on English language and communication skills. The first batch took place from July 12 to 16 and the second is scheduled from July 19 to 23 in Mumbai. The course has been designed by the British Council along with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
182.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has launched SV.CO, purportedly world’s first digital student incubator, as a digital makeover of the Startup Village in Kochi. SV.CO will constitute the second phase of development of Startup Village and is designed to help thousands of college-goers make an early start in entrepreneurship.
183.India’s Grand Master Harika Dronavalli has won the Fide women’s Grand Prix trophy in Chedu in China. She finished on 7 points in the round robin tournament featuring the world’s top 12 players to be crowned the champion.
184.Britain’s Andy Murray won the 2016 Wimbledon title in men’s singles category. It was his second Wimbledon title after he had won it for first time in 2013. In final match he defeated Canada’s Milos Raonic by 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–2) score.
185.Serena Williams of United States has won 2016 Wimbledon title in women’s singles category. In the final match played she defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber by 7–5, 6–3 score. It is Williams’ seventh Women’s Singles Wimbledon title (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015) and overall 22th Grand Slam title.
186.Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 British Grand Prix title of Formula One. It his overall fourth British Grand Prix title after winning it in 2008, 2014 and 2015. It was also his fourth title of the 2016 season after Monaco Grand Prix (May 2016), Canadian Grand Prix (June 2016) and Austrian Grand Prix (July 2016).
187.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi-nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions.
188.Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunil kumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. She was bestowed with this award for her cookbook “4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala”. It was chosen for the award in the ‘Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook’ section.
189.SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) entered into a partnership with YES Bank to guarantee 75% of loans of up to Rs 15 crore extended to energy efficiency projects under the WORLD BANK initiative. To transform the energy efficiency (EE) market in India by promoting increased level of EE investments, particularly through energy service performance contracting (ESPC) delivered through Energy Service Companies (ESCOs).
190.ICICI Securities has topped the Initial Public Offering (IPO) league table in the first half of 2016. ICICI Securities is ICICI Bank’s investment banking arm. According to data provided by Bloomberg, ICICI Securities has managed five IPOs to help rise around Rs 1,216 crore for companies getting listed.
1.Radhika Menon will become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for 2016, from the International Maritime Organisation. Captain Menon was nominated by the Government of India, for the rescue of all seven fishermen from the fishing boat Durgamma, which was adrift following engine failure and loss of anchor in severe weather.
2.Centre has constituted a cyber cell to check the online abuse and harassment of women and children on social media platforms. Women and Child Development Ministery has taken the decision as it has got several complaints from women.
3.Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has launched Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) portal “http://kvk.icar.gov.in” in New Delhi. The portal aims to provide information and advisory to the farmers and facilitate online monitoring of the KVK activities.
4.The Kerala government has announced to impose 14.5 % tax on junk food on the lines of ‘Fat Tax’ imposed on such food items. The need for the so-called ‘fat tax’ is explained by the fact the state currently has the second-highest obesity rate for children in India.
5.The government will carry out a drive to clean ten iconic places in the country as part of a pilot project under the ‘Swachh Bharat mission’. The places which have been selected are Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir, Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath temple in Orissa, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, Manikarnika Ghat in Uttar Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Kamakhya Temple in Assam.
6.The West Bengal Government has taken up a project to set up three biotechnology hubs across the state to bring in more biotechnology innovations to the State. The three proposed biotechnology hubs will come in Bardhaman, Kalimpong and Medinipur districts.
7.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed an agreement with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi-nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions. The initiative is aimed at achieving synergy between DRDO and IITs for channelising the research efforts towards developing products and technologies.
8.IDFC Mutual Fund has announced the appointment of Mr. Vishal Kapoor as its chief executive officer. Kapoor will be responsible for driving the accelerated growth of IDFC AMC.
9.Noted Pakistani philanthropist, social activist, ascetic and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi (92-year) has passed away in Karachi.Edhi was the founder and head of the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan and known as Angel of Mercy, Pakistan’s ‘Father Teresa’ and was considered country’s most respected figure.
10.Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy has sworn in as the acting Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. With this he becomes 18th Governor to be sworn in as Governor of Tripura. He has been given the additional charge of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh during the leave of absence of incumbent Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa.
11.Portugal lifted the Euro 2016 football championship at Saint-Denis in Paris beating France 1-0. Substitute Eder scored in extra-time to give Portugal a win at their first major international title despite losing captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to injury.
12.World Population Day is being observed on 11 July. The theme this year is investing in Teenage Girls.
13.Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL). Mr. Gupta, who is from Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), was working as Director (Operations and Commercial) from September 30, 2013 till his elevation.
14.Former Indian professional football coach Amal Dutta (86-year) passed away in his Kolkata residence. He was the first professional football coach of the country.
15.Chairman of R K Swamy Hansa Srinivasan K Swamy would be the recipient of this year’s The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for outstanding contribution in the advertising industry.
16.Nepal’s Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) unanimously endorsed Sushila Karki as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. With this, Karki has become the first woman to lead Nepal’s judiciary. She will be appointed to the post by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
17.India and Tanzania on 10 July 2016 inked five agreements to enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. These agreements were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tanzania from 9 July to 10 July 2016.
18.Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced to launch the postal payment bank from September this year. Postmen across the country will be provided 1.30 lakh hand-held devices and will function more like mobile ATMs in the rural belt of the country.
19.Uttar Pradesh has created a world record by planting more than five crore saplings in just ten hours. The forest department of the state started the largest statewide plantation drive in 24 hours from 10 ?AM.
20.Delhi govt has approved a proposal to continue 50% subsidy on electricity bills in national capital. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
21.Sushila Karki has become the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal after taking oath of office and secrecy at a special programme organised at the Presidential Residence, Sheetal Niwas. She will head the judiciary till June 6, 2017.
22.The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda has launched a nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) to check child diarrhoeal deaths in New Delhi. It will be observed from 11th to 23rd July, 2016 across the country.
23.According to Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu Swachh survey will be extended to 500 cities, which have population over one lakh.States, cities, panchayats should give awards so that it becomes a movement.
24.Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunilkumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. Her book “4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala” has been chosen for the award in the ‘Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook’ section.
25.Indian Hockey Men's’ & Women's‘squads for Rio Olympics have been announced. Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh will captain the Men’s team and the experienced Sushila Chanu will lead the Women’s squad.
26.Indian Navy has commissioned INS Karna, an independent base of Marine Commandos (MARCOS) at Bheemunipatanam Naval Base, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. INS Karna has been commissioned by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba.
27.The Income Tax department has widened the ATM-based validation system for filing of online Returns by taxpayers. The department has included Axis Bank to enhance the paperless regime of filing the annual Income Tax returns.
28.The chief executive and managing director (MD) of the second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank Aditya Puri has been ranked as the best banking CEO in Asia by the investor community. The bank’s chief financial officer Sashi Jagdishan has been ranked as the best CFO.
29.The Supreme Court ordered the restoration of former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki’s Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh. A five-judge constitution bench pronounced the verdict on a bunch of petitions dealing with discretionary powers of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa to summon or advance the assembly session.
30.Union minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptullah tendering her resignation and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi being given independent charge of that Ministry. G.M. Siddheshwara, Davangere MP and Minister of State for Heavy Industries have also resigned.
31.Indian Railways has launched time-tabled Auto Express from Gurgaon to Nidvanda to ensure faster delivery of cargo. It is the first time-tabled auto car freight train service between Gurgaon and Nidvanda (Bangalore).
32.Maharashtra police has launched four mobile apps for timely intervention into emergency situations. The four applications Pratisaad Ask, Police Mitra, Vahanchoritakrar and Railway helpline app were launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur.
33.India and Bangladesh have signed a landmark deal for the construction of a 1,320 Megawatt coal fired power plant. It is the biggest project under bilateral cooperation that would mark the transition from electricity export to generation level.
34.Conservative party leader Theresa May (59-year) became Prime Minister of United Kingdom. She succeeds David Cameron, who had resigned in the wake of Brexit referendum that ended his six-year-long stint as the Prime Minister of Britain.
35.Senior IPS officer Ashok Patnaik has been appointed as CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).Patnaik is currently serving as Additional Director in the Intelligence Bureau and he will continue to hold this post till his superannuation in 2018.
36.Nabam Tuki resumed his duties as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh at Arunachal Bhavan in New Delhi. As of December 15 last the Congress had 47 MLAs in a House of 60, with the BJP having 11 and two Independents. Of the 47 Congress MLAs, 14 were disqualified by the Speaker.
37.K V R Murthy has taken over as chairman-cum-managing director of the Jute Corporation of India Limited from July 2. His appointment is for a period of five years or till the date of his superannuation. Earlier,he was associated with Eastern Railways in the capacity of Chief Commercial Manager.
38.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved disinvestment of 15% paid-up equity in the National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCL) through the Offer for Sale route. According to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the government hopes to earn over one thousand seven hundred crore rupees from the disinvestment.
39.Revised norms of ticket cancellation charges and bars airlines from levying additional amount for refund process are coming into force from August 1. According to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju the cancellation amount will not to exceed basic fare plus fuel surcharge.
40.The first direct bus service between Pokhara (Nepal) and New Delhi (India) has been launched to connect South Asia’s two important cities. This bus service was flagged off by Nepal Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet and India’s ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae from Pokhara (Nepal). The bus service was launched as per the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) signed between both countries.
41.Spanish-made Talgo has become the fastest train in the country. In a trial conducted by Indian Railways on the Mathura-Palwal route, Tago clocked a speed of 180 kms per hour and covered 84 kms in 38 minutes.
42.Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE) is introducing ‘Paperless SIP‘ that would allow mutual fund investors to make transactions through various modes of payments. The additional feature on BSE’s mutual fund platform – StAR MF – would allow MF distributors to register SIPs for their clients, who can pay SIP amounts through various modes.
43.State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), (IIT) Bombay’s technology business incubator, to promote innovation by startups in the financial sector. Both the parties will identify FinTech startups that have products or applications to cater to the financial sector and can help SBI explore opportunities to enhance the synergy for their banking services.
44.The government has appointed IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi (1987-batch) Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for 5 year term. His appointment was made by the Prime Minister-headed Appointment Committee of the Cabinet. The post was lying vacant since December 2014.
45.The World Youth Skills Day (15th July) has been observed globally with the theme Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment. On the occasion, United Nations organised the event facilitated by the UN Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi.
46.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money headed by retired Justice M B Shah has recommended the ban on cash transactions of above 3 lakh rupees in a day and a separate law to declare such transactions as illegal and punishable. It has also suggested upper ceiling of cash holding at 15 lakh rupees to curb illegal wealth in the economy. The SIT felt that the cash transaction limit can only succeed if there is a limitation on cash holding. If any person or industry required holding more cash, it may obtain necessary permission from the Commissioner of Income Tax of the area.
47.In an effort to improve customer service, the RBI has asked banks to exchange up to 20 pieces of soiled currency notes with a maximum value of Rs 5,000 over the counter, free of charge. If the number of notes to be exchanged is more than 20, banks can levy service charge.
48.The international airline Emirates based in Dubai has won the top honors at Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. According to a survey conducted by Skytrax, Emirates is the world’s best airline for the year 2016.
49.Hockey Olympian Joe Antic (90-year) has passed away in Mumbai. He represented the country in the Rome Games where Pakistan won the final.
50.India has been acknowledged as the first country in the world to become YAWS-free. Union Health Minister JP Nadda received an official citation from the World Health Organisation and the UNICEF for Elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus and for being YAWS-free.
51.The ruins of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara (old Nalanda University) of Bihar has been included in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. Now, Nalanda University ruins located at Nalanda district has become the second World Heritage Site in Bihar after Bodhgaya’s Mahabodhi temple.
52.Madhya Pradesh became the first state in India to have ‘Happiness Department’ that will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness on the lines of Bhutan. The decision was taken by the state cabinet meeting presided by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Happiness Department will will work under a working committee headed by a chairman and this committee will evaluate the state’s gross happiness.
53.The country’s first industrial park exclusively for women entrepreneurs has been launched by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat at the Federation House. The move is intended to attract more women entrepreneurs and help them to initiate start-ups in the state.
54.Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has commissioned another 250 MW unit based on eco-friendly Circulating Fluidised Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology, using low-quality coal as the primary fuel. The unit has been commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company 2×250 MW thermal power project, located at Padva village in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat. This is the third 250 MW unit based on CFBC technology, commissioned by BHEL.
55.The world’s first hospital on a train The Lifeline Express (Magic Train) of India, celebrates 25 years of service to the poor and underprivileged masses of rural India. In 1991 there were 3 coaches in the train which provided medical facilities to poor and rural people where there were no hospitals available.
56.Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan endured challenging conditions to wear down their spirited rivals as India took a comfortable 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Asia|Oceania group I Davis Cup tie against South Korea in Chandigarh. The 21-year-old Ramkumar, ranked 217, put the hosts ahead in his Davis Cup debut when Seong Chan Hong conceded the first singles due to cramps in his right thigh as the Indian was serving for the match.
57.India made a big leap of 11 places to occupy 152nd spot in the latest world football rankings issued by FIFA. Overall, Argentina remain on top, despite losing to Chile in the Copa America Centenario summit clash.
58.Yatra Online, Inc. and Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corporation on 14 July 2016 entered into a definitive merger agreement. The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise value of 218 million dollars (1458 crore rupees). Yatra in its statement said that it intends to be listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "YATRA" following completion of the transaction.
59.Tata Advanced System (TASL) and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company on 14 July 2016 signed an agreement to work together in support of India’s aviation and defense modernization initiatives. The agreement was inked with an emphasis on ‘Make in India’.
60.Kerala on 16 July 2016 started observing Ramayana month in the temples. In Malayalam it is termed as the Ramayana Masam. The Ramayana Month starts with the commencement of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’. During this month the temples and homes of the state recites Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu written by medieval devotional poet Thunjath Ezhuthachan for the 30 days. Ezhuthachan is regarded as the father of Malayalam literature.
61.A book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography by Margaret Alva was in news in the second week of July 2016. Via this book, Alva narrates her forty-year career under four Prime Ministers, namely Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. It also tells about her transition from politician to Governor.
62.Pema Khandu (36) of Congress Party was sworn in as the 10th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. With this,he became the youngest Chief Minister in the country. He was administered the oath to office and secrecy by Governor Tathagata Roy at the Rajbhavan in Itanagar. Besides, Chowna Mein was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
63.The Union Commerce Ministry has launched an e-marketplace portal for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments. It was launched by the Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.
64.The eleventh edition of the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM11) or ASEM2016 has issued Ulaanbaatar Declaration. The declaration has reaffirmed ASEM’s commitment for greater partnership through informal political dialogue and initiatives in economic and socio-cultural fields. It also has expressed its commitment for united fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
65.BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu has resigned from house. Earlier, Cricketer-turned-politician Sindhu was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April this year.
66.Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July (Mandela’s birthday). The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010.
67.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an inter-regulatory Working Group to study the entire gamut of regulatory issues relating to Financial Technology and Digital Banking in India. 12 members Working Group will be headed by Sudarshan The airline will focus on short-haul services with ATR72-500 aircraft.Sen,Executive Director of RBI.
68.The fourth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bonds scheme opened for subscription. The bond can be purchased from the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, besides all Bank branches, select Post Offices and the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited.
69.Low cost airline with pink and white themed Air Carnival has been launched its operations with its maiden flight from Coimbatore to Chennai. Air Carnival is the subsidiary of Coimbatore Marine College Group of Institutions, which was established in 2002 in Coimbatore. The airline will focus on short-haul services with ATR72-500 aircraft.
70.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered immediate banning of diesel vehicles more than 10 years old in Delhi to deal with pollution in the national capital. Earlier, the tribunal had asked Delhi to ban such vehicles saying that pollution levels are at alarming levels.
71.Over fourteen lakh LPG connections have been released to the women of BPL families under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the scheme is currently under operation in 487 districts of 17 states.
72.Dabur has tied up with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO’s) unit Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh for sustainable cultivation of high-altitude medicinal plants in Ladakh. s per this deal, both organizations will educate farmers and help enhance livelihood opportunities in the cold desert area. This is the first step towards the goal of implementing conservation & environmental development benefits in Leh-Ladakh. Under this tie-up with the unit of DRDO, Dabur will also impart training to the villagers on sustainable cultivation of herbs.
73.India has defeated South Korea 4-1 in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I in Chandigarh. Playing his first Davis Cup singles match in four years, Rohan Bopanna edged past Hong Chung in a tough match. India will now make its third attempt to qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group.
74.Dipika Pallikal Karthik dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the women’s title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship in Mumbai. The men’s crown was captured by title holder and top seed Saurav Ghosal, who created history by winning it for the 11th times. He beat fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu (11-7 7-11 3-11 11-8 14-12) in five hard-fought games.
75.Senior IAS officer (1986-batch) Guruprasad Mohapatra has been appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). Earlier, he was working as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce from the past two years.
76.The World Bank has confirmed New York University economics professor Paul Romer (60-yers) its next chief economist. He will replace Kaushik Basu, a former Indian government economics adviser who is retiring.
77.India’s first e-court (paperless court) was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad . High Court of Hyderabad is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It has been inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.
78.The Indian Railways has initiated process to launch the Terrain Imaging for Diesel Drivers-Infrared Enhanced Optical and Radar Assisted (Tri-NETRAKhandelwal has become the first Indian and Asian to win the Mr. World title at the competition. ) system to avoid train accidents. The system will be installed on locomotives for enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather.
79.Government has allocated 22,915 crore rupees capital to 13 public sector banks for the current fiscal. Government has undertaken an exercise to assess the capitalization needs of Public Sector Banks in line with the announcements made under the Union Budget.
80.Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments in New Delhi. The portal has been developed by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) which works under the Commerce Ministry and carries out the procurement.
81.Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner has been appointed as the UNESCO Artist for Peace by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. He was appointed after the opening ceremony of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
82.Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum (80-year) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She is known for her singing scores of songs, duets and ghazals for Bollywood, mainly during the (1950-70s).
83.Pakistan’s spinner Yasir Shah has scaled the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings becoming the first Pakistani bowler to do so since Mushtaq Ahmed in December 1996. He reached the number-one spot after bowling Pakistan to a 75-run victory over England in the first Test at Lord’s.
84.Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian to win the coveted title of Mr. World at a grand ceremony at Southport Theatre, Floral Hall, The Promenade, South port U.K. He received a cash prize of $50,000 on winning this celebrated title.
85.A Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World News Komla Dumor Award for 2016. Didi Akinyelure is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria and presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent.
86.A Canadian university will conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans in the coming days. Development of the Zika vaccine has been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.
87.All Gram Panchayats in the country will be connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) by 2018. According to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prashad , centre plans to establish a network infrastructure by connecting all 2 lakh 50 thousand Gram Panchayats through OFC under Digital India Programme.
88.Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner of India , Mr. A. K. Joti and Mr. O.P. Rawat, Election Commissioners of India launched the “SVEEP Portal” in Hindi language. SVEEP Portal is a web based application, accessible to the Chief Electoral Officers and all other stakeholders and serves as a window for easy accessibility of various initiatives of the Commission.
89.India will host the BRICS Policy Planning Dialogue on 26th of this month at Patna in Bihar. The discussion will take forward the Policy Planning talks initiated under Russia’s Shairmanship last year in line with this year’s theme of Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions.
90.Noted Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid (56-year) passed away due to multiple organ failure. Md. Shahid was the part of the Indian hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He was known for his dribbling skills and was considered one of India’s greatest hockey players.
91.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised downward its global economic growth forecast for next year after the British people voted to leave the European Union. The world economy will expand by 3.4% in 2017, down 0.1 % point from their April report.
92.Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as Australia’s prime minister for another term after a narrow election victory with budget repair and a public vote on same sex marriage among his top priorities. He is the 29th and current Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Liberal Party.
93.Former South Africa fast bowler Steve Elworthy (51-year) has been appointed as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales in 2019.Mr. Elworthy will also have an oversight of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.
94.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup. The decision was made following a meeting with cabinet ministers and top security advisers in Ankara.
95.The cabinet approved the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The cost of the project for the establishment of the new AIIMS in Gorakhpur shall be Rs. 1011 crore.
96.The Indian Institute of Technology Council has decided to provide opportunity to eligible foreign students to study in the IITs. The focus will be on the neighbouring countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. Under this initiative, the advanced joint entrance examination will be held in these countries to pick up eligible students for admission.
97.The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked applicants to provide Aadhaar number while applying for any UGC fellowship or scholarship. Aadhaar will be used as an identifier for availing benefits of the UGC scholarship/fellowship schemes.
98.Noted writer Amitav Ghosh’s latest book “The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable” is an extended essay of sorts on climate change. The book addresses the challenges of representing the complexity of climate change in literature and the responsibility of writers to document the extreme reality humans are now facing. Ghosh examines the inability at the level of literature, history and politics to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.
99.NASA has announced the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life.
100.The oldest litigant of Babri Mosque Ram Janmbhumi dispute of Ayodhya, Mohammad Hashim Ansari (96-year) has passed away. He was ailing for sometime due to heart-related ailments, breathed his last at his house in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh). Ansari’s father was a tailor who owned a shop in the Shringar Haat area.
101.Union Government has promoted director general and mission director of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Ajay Bhushan Pandey as its chief executive officer (CEO). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Mr. Pandey. Pandey is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Maharashtra cadre.He has been serving as Director General of the UIDAI since August 2015.
102.Federal Bank has signed an agreement with Reliance Jio Money for one-click payment service. Reliance Jio Money is a wallet application that will be launched soon for mobile devices where Federal Bank will enable a direct payment option for its customers.
103.Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has joined hands with the State Bank of India to chalk out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, including internet ticketing and unreserved ticketing system. The MoU was signed by IRCTC CMD A K Manocha and Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, SBI.
104.The Odisha government has constituted a judicial commission to study the functioning of the Puri Jagannath Temple. The one-man commission, headed by retired Orissa High Court judge Bimal Prasad Das will recommend reforms for smooth management of the Shree Jagannath Temple and propagation of the Jagannath culture.
105.Centre has constituted a committee to prepare Draft Bill on Ganga to deal with all the issues related to the River. The Act should have provisions to ensure cleanliness and uninterrupted e-flow of Ganga. Justice Girdhar Malviya (Retd.) will be the Chairman of the committee.
106.India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA) that will come into force on 1st October 2016. The Social Security Agreement (SSA) will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business linkages.
107.Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards in recognition of its trendsetting marketing initiatives. The two gold medals for ‘Marketing Media‘ are in the categories of ‘Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media‘ and ‘E-Newsletter‘, which were clinched by the successful ‘Visit Kerala‘ television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter respectively.
108.French cyclist Dominique Arnaud (60-year) has passed away due to cancer in Dax, Aquitaine, France . He rode in eleven editions of the Tour de France, which is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France.
109.The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed a Russian appeal against a ban imposed by athletics governing body the IAAF over state-run doping, barring the country’s track and field team from the Rio Games. The CAS Panel has confirmed the validity of the IAAF’s decision to apply Rules which state that athletes whose national federation is suspended by the IAAF are ineligible for competitions held under the IAAF Rules.
110.Corporation Bank has launched a new facility called ‘Green PIN’. This is an online module for generation of Personal Identification Number (PIN) for credit card holders. The facility enables credit card users to generate PIN online.
111.HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company and Shamrao Vithal Co-operative (SVC) Bank have announced their bancassurance agency partnership to provide range of non-life insurance offerings to the customers of the bank. The partnership combines HDFC ERGO’s experience in introducing innovative non-life insurance products with SVC Bank’s customer base across various States.
112.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly start monitoring banks on issues relating to customer rights in five broad areas. According to RBI Executive Director U S Paliwal the areas on which the regulator will be conducting surveys and supervision at various banks are right to privacy, right to fair treatment & transparency, fair and honest dealing, right to suitability and right to grievance redress & compensation.
113.BJP Lok Sabha member Ganesh Singh has been appointed the new Chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Land Acquisition Bill. He will replaced S S Ahluwalia, who became Minister of the State for Parliamentary Affairs in reshuffle of the council of ministers.
114.Legendary modern Indian artist Syed Haider Raza (94-year) passed away in New Delhi following a prolonged illness. He is an internationally acclaimed painter and was also honoured with the Padma Shri.
115.India has been ranked a low 110th out of 149 countries on Sustainable Development index (SDI). The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively. The aim of creating this index is to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals progress and ensuring accountability.
116.The Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) focusing on Mother Teresa’s life and teachings is going to be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries. The festival will be kicked off from Kolkata on August 26 after which it will travel all over the world for the next six months.
117.The department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has organized a day-long conference on Startup India in New Delhi. The conference has presided over by commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
118.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, along with Union Ministers Kalraj Mishra and Venkaiah Naidu have laid the foundation stone for a Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises technology centre under Technology Centre Systems Programme (TCSP) at Pudi in Visakhapatnam district. Its main focus is to support industries, particularly MSMEs, through access to advanced manufacturing technologies, skilling manpower and providing technical and business advisory support to entrepreneurs.
119.A three-day meeting between Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has begun in Agartala today to sort out problems along the border. The meeting is a 21-member BGB delegation, led by Brig Gen Mohammad Habibul Karim, arrived in Agartala.
120.Kerala Government has launched Kochi Water Metro project, the first ever Water Metro project of the country. It was launched by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kochi, Kerala. The project aims to provide water connectivity to people living between islands in the Kochi agglomeration area and the city. The Water Metro project would be dedicated to the nation in four years.
121.Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated 114-km long Rameswaram-Mana Madurai route as the country's first green rail corridor with zero toilet discharge section. Accordingly, 10 passenger trains consisting of 286 coaches moving in the section have been provided with bio-toilets enabling the rail corridor free from the discharge of human waste on the track.
122.A motorcycle rally named Ride for Accessibility was organized in the national capital today with a message to empower differently abled persons, Divyangs. The rally which saw 500 young men and women motorcycle riders was flagged off at India Gate by Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
123.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a pilot project of e-complaint system on an experimental basis in Pune. After the pilot project, the system will be launched across the state within 8 months. It has been launched during the concluding ceremony of 14th Maharashtra Police Duty Meet at SRPF ground at Ramtekdi.
124.The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has revamped its board, appointing three new public interest directors including chairman of Manipal Global Education Services and Infosys' former director Mohandas Pai, former secretary at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Naved Masood and KPMG India's former deputy chief executive Dinesh Kanabar on the NSE's board as public interest directors. The board of the National Stock Exchange of India has 10 directors with Ashok Chawla, former chief of Competition Commission of India, as its chairman till January. He took charge from S B Mathur as NSE board chairman in May.
125.Renowned Music Director and singer Bappi Lahiri and Critically-acclaimed filmmaker Goutam Ghose have been honoured with 'Mahanayak award' by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. The award has been conferred to them on the occasion of 36th death anniversary (24th July) of Uttam Kumar. The awards were instituted in 2012 in the memory of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar who is revered in this part of India as "Mahanayak (Great hero)". In addition to Ghose and Lahiri, director-actor Kaushik Ganguly was also honoured with the award for best director.
126.India’s Neeraj Chopra has won the javelin gold at the IAAF World under-20 athletics championship in Poland, setting a world record of 86.48m while South African Johan Gobler (80.59m) took the silver and Anderson Peters (79.65m) of Granada finished third. With this, the 18 years old has created history by becoming first Indian Junior athlete to create a World Record in Poland.
127.The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 25 projects under the Swadesh Darshan scheme worth Rs.2048 Crore. The scheme is launched in January 2015. For the North Eastern States, the Ministry has sanctioned 9 projects worth Rs. 821 Crores covering all the 8 states.
128.Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix title of Formula One. It his overall fourth Hungarian Grand Prix title after winning it in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013.
129.Kolkata-based diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd has named Sanjiv Puri as Chief Operating Officer of the company. He has become a successor to chairman YC Deveshwar, as Mr. Deveshwar is all set to step down from his post in February 2017. But he will continue as a non-executive chairman for three years.
130.Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain has defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 7-5 to win the Swiss Open Gstaad – 2016. Lopez was the winner of the 2004 Vienna Open, the 2010 Johannesburg Open and the Eatsbourne open in 2013 and 2014.
131.Promising Indian shooter Manavaditya Rathore son of Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has won the trap bronze medal in the Champion of Champions match at the Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. In the Champion of Champions event, the medallists of the three Junior World Cups of the year compete against each other.
132.Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has resigned from his post the no-confidence motion against him in the Parliament. Oli, who became PM last October heading Nepal’s eighth government in the past 10 years, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government.
133.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of five crore rupees on Bank of Baroda in the alleged Rs. 6,100-crore forex related irregularities that were observed in October. Various irregularities by bank such as non-submission and inordinate delays in filing of Suspicious Transaction Reports, besides opening of accounts by several entities without fulfilling KYC norms, were noticed by RBI.
134.Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on 26th July every year in honour of the Kargil War’s Heroes.On this day in 1999 that the Indian Armed Forces, as part of Operation Vijay, recaptured Indian posts in Kargil which had been occupied by Pakistan’s army.
135.Noted archaeologist Dr. Budha Rashmi Mani has been appointed as Director General (DG) of National Museum. He has been appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mani will have tenure of three years or till attainment of age seventy.
136.Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has launched Kochi water Metro project in Kochi, Kerala. It is first ever Water Metro project in the country. It will be operational in two years. The aim of the water Metro project is to provide water connectivity to people who are living between islands in the Kochi agglomeration area and the city. It will be built at an estimated cost of 747 crores Rupees funded by German Development Bank (Kfw).
137.Booking tickets of Indian railway through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website can avail a travel accident cover of 10 lakh rupees at a premium of one rupee from September 2016. According to the IRCTC Chairman-cum-Managing Director AK Manocha the insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways in case of accidents to valid ticket holders.
138.An outstanding violinist Avasarala Kanyakumari will get the prestigious 2016 Sangita Kalanidhi Award. The executive committee of the Academy has unanimously chosen her for its coveted award.
139.Indian e-commerce company Flipkart Ltd has acquired Jabong through its unit Myntra in a cut-price deal that values the online fashion store at $70 million. Jabong is an Indian fashion and lifestyle e-commerce portal founded by Praveen Sinha,Lakshmi Potluri,Arun Chandra Mohan. Jabong portal sells apparel, footwear, fashion accessories, beauty products, fragrances, home accessories and other fashion and lifestyle products.
140.Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has become the number one Test bowler again, after taking 7 wickets in the 1st Test against West Indies. He has returned to the top of the charts by replacing Pakistani leg spinner Yasir Shah. He moved one spot to achieve 876 rating points while Yasir slipped 4 positions.
141.Dakshayani, 86, is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest living elephant. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) - the owner of the elephant - has already written to the Guinness authorities staking claim to Dakshayani being the oldest living elephant in the world.
142.Bezwada Wilson and TM Krishna have been conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016. The four other awardees for 2016 are Conchita Carpio-Morales (Philippines), Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia), Vientiane Rescue(Laos) and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Japan).
143.Chief Minister of Odisa Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs. 60 lakh cash for six sports persons of the state who have qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016. The six sports persons are Dutee Chand (sprinter-100 m) and Srabani Nanda (sprinters-200m) and four hockey players Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz and Sunita Lakra.
144.Dakshayani (86-year) is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest living elephant. TDB has written to the Guinness authorities staking claim to Dakshayani being the oldest living elephant in the world.
145.The Union Government has approved 1,600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative “Himayat” programme. In this Himayat programme, youths from rural and urban areas of J&K would be imparted with training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years.
146.Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar (75-year) will step down as Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president within six months. Earlier,RM Lodha Committee had recommended that there be caps of 70 years on age and duration of tenure of 9 years of elected office bearers and state associations.
147.The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill has been passed by Lok Sabha. Earlier, the bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha during this monsoon session of Parliament. This bill prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations except in family business, with the provision for the imprisonment of up to two years for any violation.
148.Eminent diplomat Arundhati Ghose (76-year) has passed away at her residence in Delhi. Ghose led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996.
149.State bank of india (SBI) has used Indian Oil Corporation’s ‘Kisan Seva Kendras’ to extend banking facilities to farmers across the country. Indian Oil Corporation has set up 6,500 Kisan Seva Kendrass in rural and remote areas to provide access to the agricultural inputs like diesel, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides to farmers.
150.World Hepatitis Day is being observed world wide on 28 July to raise global awareness of Hepatitis and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The theme of this year is ‘Elimination‘. This year sees the first ever World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, which sets a goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
151.Haryana Government has decided to set up de-addiction centres in the premises of Jails of the State. In first phase, such centres would be set up at Central Jail in Hisar and District Jail Rohtak .
152.Kolkata’s football club ‘East Bengal‘ has announced, this year’s Bharat Gaurav award to legendary athlete Milkha Singh. Singh will be honored with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day, 1st of August.
153.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed 27 crore rupees penalty on 13 public and private sector banks including PNB and HDFC Bank for Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act violations and Know your customer (KYC) lapses. RBI asked banks to ensure strict compliance with the guidelines. RBI had undertaken a scrutiny on advance import remittances in 21 banks in October and November last year.
154.State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a payment system at its ATMs which will allow the account holders to transfer the money by using the mobile phone number as an identifier. This payment facility system works on instant money transfer (IMT) platform. The IMT is a unique payment system launched by Eempays Payment Systems Pvt Ltd.
155.Agricultural scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao (89-year) has passed away in Hyderabad following a brief illness. Rao was well-known for basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of several dry land crops. He earned the title of ‘Father of Hybrid Sorghum’ in India.
156.Eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi (90-year) has passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata. She was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Vibhushan, Jnanpith and Magsaysay Award among several others.
157.The International Olympic Committee’s new television channel (IOC) will launch after the end of Rio Olympics, 21st August. According to the IOC President Thomas Bach the launch of the channel is the start of an exciting new journey to connect the worldwide audience with the Olympic Movement all year round.
158.Eminent diplomat Arundhati Ghose (76-year) has passed away at her residence in Delhi. Ghose led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996.
159.India has been ranked a low 110th out of 149 countries on Sustainable Development index (SDI). The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively. The aim of creating this index is to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals progress and ensuring accountability.
160.Booking tickets of Indian railway through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website can avail a travel accident cover of 10 lakh rupees at a premium of one rupee from September 2016. According to the IRCTC Chairman-cum-Managing Director AK Manocha the insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways in case of accidents to valid ticket holders.
161.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-appointment of A K Mittal as Chairman Railway Board (with effect from August 1, 2016) for a period of two years. Mittal is a 1976-batch officer of Indian Railway Stores Service.
162.The European Commission appoints has appointed Michel Barnier, as its Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom’s exit from the bloc. He will take up his post on October 1. Barnier is former French Financial Services Commissioner. Earlier, he has served as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in French government. He had the reforms in the banking union, financial sector and digital single market in the EU.
163.International Tiger Day (29th July) is being celebrated world wide to raise awareness for tiger conservation and to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers. International Tiger Day was created in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit with the aim to double the Tiger population by 2022.
164.Hillary Clinton ( 68-year) accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president with a message stressing the need to unite in order to confront the nation’s challenges. Clinton is the first woman ever nominated for president by a major US political party.
165.3rd India Education Fair has begun in Dhaka. Over 35 premier Indian educational institutions including schools, colleges, and technical institutes under one roof to provide educational opportunities to Bangladeshi youth. The event has been Inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Sringla.
166.Four new writers have got the Bharatiya Jnanpith’s 11th Navlekhan award for the year 2015 . Amlendu Tiwari (Parityakt), Balram Kawant (Sara Morila), Om Naagar (Nib Ke Chire Se) and Tasneem Khan (Yeh Mere Rahnuma). All awardees were chosen by a selection panel headed by senior writer and journalist Madhusudan Anand, comprising eminent literary figures Vishnu Nagar, Govind Prasad and Om Nischal.
167.An android mobile app has been launched by West Bangal Tourism Department,aiming to attract the travelers across the world. This app is based on the theme of “Experience Bengal“. It would be loaded with facilities like maps and directions.
168.The Russian Olympic team has gathered at an airport in Moscow’s Sheremetevo airport to fly to Brazil for the Rio Olympics.A total of 106 Russian athletes from 7 sports had been excluded from the national team for the Rio Olympic Games over the doping scandal.
169.Germany football captain Bastian Schweinsteiger (31-year) has retired from the international football. He plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United and the German national team. He was an instrumental player for Germany when they won the World Cup in 2014, scored 24 goals and earned 120 caps for his nation.
170.Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale was sworn in as the new chief justice of Allahabad High Court. The oath of office was administered by Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik.Prior to his appointment Chief Justice Bhosale was serving as acting chief justice of high court of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
171.Jagadip Narayan Singh has been appointed as Chief Secretary of Gujarat. Singh has a Masters in International Studies from Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Delhi, MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines and a Ph.D in Political Economy from the M S University, Vadodara.
172.Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari was sworn in as the new chief justice of Patna High Court by Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind at a function in Raj Bhawan. He is the 39th Chief Justice of the Patna High Court,would retire on October 29, 2016. He has done B.Sc. from Darrang College, Tezpur and completed graduation in law from Tezpur Law College.
173.The Mohun Bagan FC has conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna to the legendary Indian Footballer Syed Nayeemuddin. He became 16th recipient of this prestigious award. Nayeemuddin had captained the Indian national football team which had won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games.
174.The Haryana state Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister OP Dhankar has launched ‘Pashudhan Bima Yojana’ in the State at a function in Jhajjar. Dhankar has also presented documents of the Pashudhan Bima Yojana to cattle breeders and urged them to take maximum benefit of this scheme.
175.Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid foundation stone for construction of a new Railway Station at Imphal. According to Mr. Prabhu ,the project will require about 90 thousand crore rupees.
176.Pulitzer Prize winner author James Alan McPherson (72-year) has passed away. He was an American short story writer and essayist. James’s anthology Elbow Room won the Pulitzer for fiction in the year 1978.
177.Rajjat Barjatya, MD & CEO of ‘Rajshri Media’ has passed away in Mumbai due to cancer. Rajshri Productions was founded by Sooraj and Rajjat’s grandfather Tarachand Barjatya.
178.Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has signed an agreement with private sector lender Axis Bank as its bancassurance partner where in the bank will distribute LIC’s products to its customers. In the first phase, bank will distribute LIC’s life insurance products across its branches in West Bengal, Bangalore and Haryana.
179.Satish Mathur was appointed as Director General of Maharashtra Police on 20 July 2016 by Maharashtra Government. Mathur, the IPS of 1981-batch, is due to retire in June 2017. Mathur will succeed Praveen Dixit, the IPS of 1977 batch, who is retiring from on 31 July 2016 on superannuation. Dixit was serving in the post since September 2015.
180.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the Run for Rio event in New Delhi to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country.
181.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has organised a course for umpires on English language and communication skills. The first batch took place from July 12 to 16 and the second is scheduled from July 19 to 23 in Mumbai. The course has been designed by the British Council along with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
182.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has launched SV.CO, purportedly world’s first digital student incubator, as a digital makeover of the Startup Village in Kochi. SV.CO will constitute the second phase of development of Startup Village and is designed to help thousands of college-goers make an early start in entrepreneurship.
183.India’s Grand Master Harika Dronavalli has won the Fide women’s Grand Prix trophy in Chedu in China. She finished on 7 points in the round robin tournament featuring the world’s top 12 players to be crowned the champion.
184.Britain’s Andy Murray won the 2016 Wimbledon title in men’s singles category. It was his second Wimbledon title after he had won it for first time in 2013. In final match he defeated Canada’s Milos Raonic by 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–2) score.
185.Serena Williams of United States has won 2016 Wimbledon title in women’s singles category. In the final match played she defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber by 7–5, 6–3 score. It is Williams’ seventh Women’s Singles Wimbledon title (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015) and overall 22th Grand Slam title.
186.Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain has won the 2016 British Grand Prix title of Formula One. It his overall fourth British Grand Prix title after winning it in 2008, 2014 and 2015. It was also his fourth title of the 2016 season after Monaco Grand Prix (May 2016), Canadian Grand Prix (June 2016) and Austrian Grand Prix (July 2016).
187.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi-nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions.
188.Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunil kumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. She was bestowed with this award for her cookbook “4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala”. It was chosen for the award in the ‘Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook’ section.
189.SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) entered into a partnership with YES Bank to guarantee 75% of loans of up to Rs 15 crore extended to energy efficiency projects under the WORLD BANK initiative. To transform the energy efficiency (EE) market in India by promoting increased level of EE investments, particularly through energy service performance contracting (ESPC) delivered through Energy Service Companies (ESCOs).
190.ICICI Securities has topped the Initial Public Offering (IPO) league table in the first half of 2016. ICICI Securities is ICICI Bank’s investment banking arm. According to data provided by Bloomberg, ICICI Securities has managed five IPOs to help rise around Rs 1,216 crore for companies getting listed.
