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 2 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 2 July 2021
Vivek Ram Chaudhari took over as new Vice Chief of Indian Air Force
Vivek Ram Chaudhari took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Air Marshal Chaudhari was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on December 29, 1982, and has a flying experience of more than 3800 hrs on a wide variety of fighter and trainer aircraft.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.
Prior to the present appointment, he was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Western Air Command. He succeeds Air Marshal H.S. Arora, who retired on Wednesday after over 39 years of service.
Air Marshal B.R. Krishna, who was the Director General (DG) Air Operations, took over as the new AOC-in-C of the Western Air Command and Air Marshal P.M. Sinha assumed office as DG Air Operations.
CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant has got another one-year extension
Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant has been given one-year extension till June 2022.
The 1980-batch IAS officer was a key driver of the “Make in India”, Start-up India, “Incredible India” and “God’s Own Country” initiatives.
In 2019, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved the extension of tenure of Amitabh Kant as CEO, NITI Aayog for a further period of two years beyond June 30, 2019 up to June 30, 2021.
Italy held the G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting
The G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting was recently held in Italian city of Matera which was the first face-to-face meeting of G20 members in two years.
Ministers discussed ways to coordinate the international response to the health emergency. They also discussed ways to ensure equitable worldwide access to vaccines and diagnostics.
The G20 comprises most of the world’s largest economies, bringing together both industrialized and developing nations such as the US, China, Germany, India and Brazil.
These countries account for more than 80% of the world economic output, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet.
The foreign and development ministers’ meeting prepared the groundwork for this year’s G20 leaders’ summit in Rome at the end of October.
63 projects infrastructure projects inaugurated by the Defense Minister
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently inaugurated 63 bridges in six states and two Union Territories. The combined cost of the projects is Rs 240 crores.
Among the 63 bridges, 11 are in Ladakh, four in Jammu & Kashmir, three in Himachal Pradesh, six in Uttarakhand, eight in Sikkim, one each in Nagaland and Manipur, and 29 in Arunachal Pradesh.
The 11 bridges in Ladakh include one on the Leh-Loma route will ensure smooth movement of tanks and heavy weapon systems in the forward areas of Eastern Ladakh.
The Leh-Loma Road connects Leh with places such as Chumathang, Hanley and Tso Morori Lake, and is vital for access to forward areas in Eastern Ladakh
The defence minister inaugurated a 50-metre-long bridge from Kyungam constructed on the Leh-Loma Road in Ladakh.
India Ranks 20 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021
India Ranks 20 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2021 among the top 100 countries by Startup Blink with the jumped three spots up in the global start-up ranking this year.
The country was in the 17th spot in 2019, after which it slid six spots down and stood at 23 in 2020.
Like last year, the US, the UK, Israel, Canada and Germany are in the top five spots this year too and continue their lead.
According to the report, India needs to better its infrastructure and Internet speed in order to further strengthen its start-up ecosystem.
It also stated that the start-ups must focus on finding innovative solutions that are adaptable across the world, instead of focussing on local markets alone.
India currently has 43 of its cities listed in the top 1000, globally, with Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai in the top 20.
Getting three of its cities featured among the top 20 globally is a feat that only one other country has trumped — the US.
China, which is well known for its robust start-up environment, has only two of its cities listed in the top 20 — Beijing and Shanghai.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2021
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recommend the names of spinner R Ashwin and women’s cricket team skipper Mithali Raj for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
The 34-year-old right arm off-breaker R Ashwin has represented India in 79 Tests, 111 ODIs, and 46 T20Is so far since his debut in 2010.
Recently, Mithali became the only woman cricketer to have an international career spanning more than 22 years. The 38-year-old legend had made her debut on June 26, 1999.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (22 years 91 days) has a longer career than Mithali Raj across men’s and women’s cricket. No other cricketer has been active in international cricket for as long as 22 years.
The Union Sports Ministry had earlier decided to extend the last date of submission of application for the National Sports Awards 2021.
US passed a bill to remove Confederate statues of those who supported slavery
United States House of Representatives passed a bill to remove statues honoring those who upheld slavery or backed the Confederacy from the Capitol building, which displays statues selected by all 50 states.
It is the second year in a row that the House passed the bill, which the then-Republican-controlled Senate in 2020 declined to take up.
Democrats now have a razor-thin Senate majority, which could allow them to force a vote on the measure, which would need the support of 10 Republicans to pass.
The statues and busts targeted by the “Remove Hate” bill include one honoring former U.S. Chief Justice Roger Taney, who authored a key decision supporting slavery.
Former President of South Africa Jacob Zuma has been sentenced to jail
South Africa’s top court handed the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, a 15-month jail term for “egregious” contempt of court after he refused to appear before graft investigators.
Zuma served as Deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005, but was dismissed by President Thabo Mbeki in 2005 after Zuma’s financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted of soliciting a bribe.
Zuma was elected President of the African National Congress (ANC) on 18 December 2007 after defeating Mbeki at the ANC conference in Polokwane.
On 20 September 2008, Mbeki announced his resignation after being recalled by the ANC’s National Executive Committee.
The recall came after South African High Court Judge Christopher Nicholson ruled Mbeki had improperly interfered with the operations of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), including the prosecution of Jacob Zuma for corruption.
Kaushik Basu authored the book titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington, DC”
Kaushik Basu has authored a new book on policymaking titled “Policymaker’s Journal: From New Delhi to Washington D.C.” the book.
The book narrates Kaushik Basu’s experience of his over 7 years career, first in India as Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian Govt and after that as Chief Economist at the World Bank in Washington DC, USA.
Kaushik Basu is an Indian economist who was Chief Economist of the World Bank from 2012 to 2016. He began a three-year term as President of the International Economic Association in June 2017.
He is the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, and academic advisory board member of upcoming Plaksha University.
From 2009 to 2012, during the United Progressive Alliance’s second term, Basu served as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India.
Ukraine and US launched joint naval exercises “Sea Breeze drills”
Ukraine and the United States recently launched joint naval exercises in the Black Sea in a show of Western cooperation with Kiev as it faces off with Russia.
The Sea Breeze drills — which have taken place 21 times since 1997 — will involve some 5,000 military personnel from more than 30 countries.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and claims the waters around the peninsula as part of its territory. Most countries do not recognise the takeover and stand behind Ukraine’s claims to the waters.
Washington is a key ally of Kiev in its conflict with Moscow over Crimea and pro-Moscow separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
In 2018 Russian forces boarded and took control of three Ukrainian Naval ships off the Black Sea peninsula.
World UFO day 2021
World UFO Day is celebrated on 2 July each year to spread awareness about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). The objective of the day is to acknowledge the existence of UFOs.
The first World UFO Day was celebrated in 2001 by UFO researcher Haktan Akdogan. As mentioned above, the day was earlier celebrated on two days: 24 June and 2 July.
The World UFO Day Organization (WUFODO) declared 2 July as the official World UFO day. According to them, it was done eliminate any kind of confusion.
The official website of World UFO Day says that UFOs are generally classified as anomalies that are completely unidentified or identifiable.
One of the most general definitions of the UFO is something that is apparent in the sky and is not identifiable as any known object or natural phenomena.
National GST Day 2021
National GST day is celebrated on 1 July each year in India. This the fourth anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2021.
The date 1st July has been designated by the Central Government as ‘GST Day’, which is celebrated every year to mark the roll-out of the historic tax reform.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect, multi-level, comprehensive tax levied on the supply of goods and services in India.
France was the first country to implement the GST in 1954; since then, an estimated 160 countries have adopted this tax system in some form or another.
The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in the Parliament on 29th March 2017 and came into effect on 1st July 2017.
GST Council is an apex member committee to modify, reconcile or to procure any law or regulation based on the context of goods and services tax in India. The council is headed by the union finance minister assisted with the finance minister of all the states of India.
National Doctors’ Day 2021
National Doctors’ Day is celebrated on 1 July by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of former Bengal’s Chief Minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.
The day is dedicated to all the doctors and healthcare workers who have been serving the people by risking their lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again reminded us about the contributions and sacrifices made by doctors and healthcare workers around the globe.
Dr Roy was an exemplary and eminent doctor who made an enormous contribution to the medical fraternity in his medical career. He was born on July 1, 1882, and died on a similar date in 1962.
Indian Coast Guard rescues seven fishermen off Tillangchong Island
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) located and rescued a distressed fishing boat ‘RSN-TWO’ with seven crew onboard off the Tillangchong Island, approximately 350 kms south of Port Blair.
Tillangchong is an island and a village in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
The island is a part of the Nicobar Islands chain, located in the northeast Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
The island has the largest surviving populations of the endemic Nicobar megapode (Megapodius nicobariensis), and is a protected sanctuary.
CMPDI and CCL inked MoA for development of Solar Power Projects
Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL), Ranchi signed Memorandum of Association (MoA) for development of Solar Power Projects.
The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute is a fully owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited, engaged in the field of environmental engineering and provides consultancy and engineering services across the globe
Central Coalfields Limited is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, an undertaking of the Government of India. CCL manages the nationalized coal mines of the Coal Mines Authority, Central division. It is headquartered at Darbhanga House, Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Solar Power is the most readily available source of energy. The solar energy could supply all the present and future energy needs of the world.
The most explored renewable energy technologies for power generation in India, namely, Solar pond, and Solar Photovoltaic systems need more sophistication for long-term benefits.
