Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 16 July 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
Daily Current Affairs 16 July 2021
International Cooperation & Convention Centre ‘Rudraksh’ in Varanasi
Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated the International Cooperation & Convention Centre ‘Rudraksh’ in Varanasi. It has been made with the financial help of Japan.
As many as 108 Rudraksh have been installed at the convention centre and its roof is shaped like a Shiva Linga.
Rudraksha is a seed that is used as a prayer bead in Hinduism, as well as other traditions, for example many people within western tradition also use Rudraksha.
When they are ripe, rudraksha seeds are covered by a blue outer fruit and are sometimes called blueberry beads.
The seeds are produced by several species of large, evergreen, broad-leaved tree in the genus Elaeocarpus, the principal of which is Elaeocarpus ganitrus.
The seeds are associated with the Hindu Lord Shiva and are commonly worn for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya.
Piyush Goyal has been appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha
Recently, Union minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the leader of the house in Rajya Sabha. The first Leader of House in Rajya Sabha was N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar.
Goyal replaces Thawar Chand Gehlot, who moved to Karnataka as the governor of the state following the recent cabinet reshuffle.
The Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha is the leader and parliamentary chairperson of the majority party in the Rajya Sabha and is normally either a cabinet minister or another nominated minister.
The Leader of the House is responsible for organizing government meetings and business in the House. This office is not enshrined in the constitution and provided under the Rules of Rajya Sabha.
A R Rahman is the composer of Tokyo Olympics cheer song “Hindustani Way”
Singer Ananya Birla has teamed up with music maestro AR Rahman to launch a cheer song for Indian sports personalities as they gear up for Tokyo Olympics.
Titled “Hindustani Way”, the song has been sung by Ananya and composed by Rahman. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur launched the song.
The Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic. The event will finally kick off on July 23.
NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd will set up a single largest solar park in Gujarat
NTPC announced to set up country’s single largest solar park at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat following the go-ahead from the government.
The 4,750-megawatt (MW) renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada Gujarat will be set up by NTPC Renewable Energy ltd, the power giant said in a statement.
NTPC REL was given the go-ahead by the MNRE on July 12, 2021 under Mode 8 (Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park) of Solar Park Scheme.
NTPC further informed about commissioning India’s largest floating solar of 10 MW capacity on the reservoir of Simhadri Thermal Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh recently.
An additional 15 MW would be commissioned by August 2021. Further, a 100 MW Floating Solar Project on the reservoir of Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant, Telangana is in the advanced stage of implementation.
Nitin Gadkari inaugurated National Highway projects in Manipur
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 16 national highway projects in Manipur with an investment of Rs 4,148 crores covering a total length of 298 kms.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the projects will provide all-weather connectivity to Manipur with the rest of the country and the neighbouring countries.
These highway projects will boost agricultural, industrial and socio-economic progress of the region, besides facilitating health care and emergency service to the remotest of the areas and generating employment and self-employment opportunities.
While inaugurating the projects in Imphal Gadkari said projects worth Rs 5000 crores have also been sanctioned for the state and the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) will be completed within six months and the work will start in a year’s time.
Chinese fashion brand Shein is set to re-enter India through Amazon
Banned Chinese fashion brand Shein is making a comeback in India through marketplace Amazon.
The e-commerce platform that was extremely popular for its affordable and fashionable clothing will be re-launching on Amazon during their annual Prime Day sale.
The site was also later banned by the Home Ministry as part of India’s crackdown on Chinese apps in 2020.
In 2019, the site had to temporarily stop shipping orders and initiate customer refunds after a crackdown by Mumbai Customs’ department over allegations that Chinese shopping sites were paying lower duties than actually due. Over 500 parcels belonging to Shein and Club House were then seized.
Dushanbe hosted the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting on July 14, 2021
A meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)-Afghanistan contact group was held in Dushanbe on July 14, 2021.
Jaishankar engaged with countries on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting held in Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe on July 13 and 14.
His first bilateral on the sidelines of the meeting was with his Afghan counterpart where both sides discussed the current situation in Afghanistan. This comes amid a protracted border standoff between the two countries.
Dushanbe, on the Varzob River, is the capital of Tajikistan. On the east bank of the river is Rudaki Park, named for the classical poet. A statue of him stands under an ornate mosaic arch.
Six people will take oath during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
The number of oath-takers at the Olympics opening ceremony has been doubled from three to six for the Tokyo Games to ensure gender parity.
The Olympic oath is taken by an athlete from the host county, on behalf of all the competitors and the ceremony also includes one coach and a judge.
This time, Japan will pick two — one male and one female — from each group for the event, which has been an integral part of the Games since 1920. The showpiece kicks off on July 23.
Two words — inclusion and equality — have been added to the opening line of the Oath.
India has named boxer MC Mary Kom and men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh as flag-bearers of the country’s contingent during the opening ceremony.
Chryseis Knight authored the book “The Great Big Lion”
Three years old Chryseis Knight authored the book “The Great Big Lion” and makes history to being one of the youngest authors in the world.
“The Great Big Lion” is a story about lion and two children. It talks about friendship, inclusivity, wildlife conservation and the world of imagination.
Earlier published independently abroad, the book was released for the first time in India under Penguin Random House India’s ‘Puffin’ imprint.
“The Great Big Lion”, drawn and written by child prodigy Knight, is a story about lion and two children. It talks about friendship, inclusivity, wildlife conservation and the world of imagination.
India’s first 5-star hotel built over railway track has been built in Gandhi Nagar
Prime Minister Modi recently inaugurated a newly-built 318-room five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station and various other development projects in Gujarat.
The redevelopment of the existing railway station in Gandhinagar and construction of the five-star hotel on top of the station started in January 2017 after Modi performed their groundbreaking.
The redevelopment of Gandhinagar Capital railway station has been done at a cost of Rs 71.50 crore.
The station will provide an airport-like experience to passengers with facilities such as a luxury hotel, theme-based lighting, an interfaith prayer hall and a separate baby feeding room.
The structure is designed and provided with green building rating features and has already obtained sustainability standards green certification from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
US Approved Blue Origin Licence for Human Space Travel Aboard New Shepard
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a Blue Origin license to carry humans on the New Shepard launch system into space.
Former Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is set to fly to the edge of space on Blue Origin’s maiden crewed voyage on July 20.
Blue Origin is authorised to carry humans while its FAA license is valid through August and is approved to conduct these missions from its Launch Site One facility in Texas.
Blue Origin was required to verify its launch vehicle’s hardware and software worked safely during a test flight and the FAA confirmed it met regulatory requirements.
Blue Origin’s flight will come a little over a week after space-tourism rival Virgin Galactic successfully sent a crew including its founder, British billionaire Richard Branson, to the edge of space.
Rajnath Singh launched AI- powered grievance management application
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently launched an Artificial Intelligence-powered grievance management application in New Delhi.
The system was developed by Ministry of Defence with the cooperation of IIT-Kanpur.
This is the first Artificial Intelligence-based system developed to improve grievance redressal in the Government. The system can identify repeat complaints or spam automatically.
It enables geographical analysis of complaints in a category including analysis of whether the complaint was adequately addressed or not by the concerned office.
This Artificial Intelligence-powered application will automatically handle and analyse the complaints of the people. It will also reduce human intervention, save time and bring more transparency in their disposal.
Civil Aviation Ministry released d-Drone Rules, 2021 for public consultation
The Civil Aviation Ministry recently released reorganized – The Drone Rules, 2021 for public consultation. Built on a premise of trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring, The Drone Rules, 2021 will replace the UAS Rules 2021.
Key takeaways from the Draft Drone Rules, 2021 include that there will be minimal human interface on the digital sky platform and most permissions will be self-generated.
Safety features like ‘No Permission – No Take-off’ (NPNT), real-time tracking beacon, geo-fencing etc. to be notified in future.
Import of drones and drone components will be regulated by Directorate General of Foreign Trade. All drone training and testing to be carried out by an authorised drone school.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation will prescribe training requirements, oversee drone schools and provide pilot licences online.
Standard operating procedures (SOP) and training procedure manuals (TPM) will be prescribed by DGCA on the digital sky platform for self-monitoring by users.
Indian faced trade deficit at $9.37 billion in June, 2021
India’s exports rose by 48.34 per cent to $32.5 billion in June, 2021 on account of healthy growth in shipments of petroleum products, gems and jewellery, and chemicals, even as trade deficit stood at $9.37 billion.
Imports in June too rose by 98.31 per cent to $41.87 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $9.37 billion as against a trade surplus of $0.79 billion in the same month last year.
During April-June 2021, the exports increased by 85.88 per cent to $95.39 billion. Imports expanded to $126.15 billion during the first three months of the fiscal as against $60.44 billion in the same period last year, the data showed.
Oil imports in June were $10.68 billion, which were 116.51 per cent higher compared to $4.93 billion in June 2020. During April-June 2021, the imports stood at $31 billion as against $13.08 billion during the same quarter previous fiscal.
India to Establish Right to be Permanent Member of UNSC
India will make the best of its two-year term in the UN Security Council and underscore that it establishes the right to be a permanent member of the 15-nation body.
India is Chair of the Libyan Sanctions Committee. Mr Shringla’s visit comes as India prepares to assume the Presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN body next month.
The Security Council is one of the UN’s six main organs, and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security. It held its first session on 17 January 1946 in Westminster, London.
The UNSC has 15 member and five of them — US, UK, Russia, China and France — are permanent members, who have veto rights. The ten elected or non-permanent members have a tenure of two years. At present, the non-permanent members are Estonia, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.
Non-permanent members of the Security Council, however, do not have veto rights. This, in the eyes of several observers, makes them a toothless grouping because they cannot assert their will on any matter of international concern, merely persuade or dissuade other member states from acting in a certain way.
The council responds to crises around the world on a case-by-case basis and takes action based on options that do not involve armed force. For instance, economic and trade sanctions, arms embargoes, travel bans and financial or commodity restrictions.
