- National:
- According to a report on National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released by the NITI Aayog on July 17, 2023, multidimensional poverty in India has decreased from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-21.
- On 17th July 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) in collaboration with Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) launched the Oil 2023 medium-term market report titled: IEA Oil 2023 – Supply and demand dynamics to 2028 in Delhi.
- The World Humanitarian Drive (WHD), which promotes international education and trade, has been granted special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
- The United Kingdom has formally signed a treaty to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trading bloc of 11 countries.
- Ashok Leyland, an automotive subsidiary of the Hinduja Group, has bagged orders worth Rs 800 crore from the Indian Army to supply military vehicles1. The contracts include the procurement of the Field Artillery Tractor (FAT 4x4) and the Gun Towing Vehicle (GTV 6x6).
- A 26-party alliance named Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) has been formed to challenge the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India has achieved an all-time high of 93% DPT3 immunisation coverage in 2022, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic best of 91% recorded in 2019.
- Economy:
- The Ministry of Textiles has decided to reopen the Product Linked Incentives (PLI) Portal till 31 August 2023 for inviting applications from interested companies under PLI scheme of Textiles for MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics and products of Technical Textiles.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is aiming to scale up the number of central bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions to one million per day by the end of 2023, according to Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has retained its forecast of India’s economic growth at 6.4% for the current fiscal year (FY24) due to recovery in consumption demand in rural and urban areas.
- World:
- The United Arab Emirates signed a $1.9-billion deal with a state mining company in DR Congo to develop at least four mines in the African country’s turbulent east, the Congolese presidency said Monday.
- The Illegal Migration Bill has completed its passage through the UK Parliament and is all set to become a law after receiving Royal Assent from King Charles III.
- Sports:
- Indian badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest hit by a male player in badminton during the Korea Open, with his smash reaching a speed of 565 km/h.
- Rohit Sharma’s hundred in the first Test against the West Indies saw him re-enter the top 10 list of batters while Ravichandran Ashwin strengthened his position as the No. 1 Test bowler with a 12-wicket haul in the same match.
- The Indian senior weightlifting team ended its campaign with 20 medals at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023 held at the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. India’s medal tally in weightlifting competition consists of 9 gold, 9 silver and 2 bronze medals.
- Important Days:
- World Snake Day is held every year on July 16th to increase awareness regarding the over 3,500 snake species that exist across the world. The theme of World Snake Day is to increase awareness about the different species of snakes and their conservation.
- Awards:
- Union Minister of Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy was conferred with the Global Incredible Inc Leadership Award by the US India SME Council.
- Professor T. Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has been selected for the International Eni Award.
- Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam and flautist Shashank Subramanyam were conferred with the prestigious Chevalier award by the French government at a ceremony in Chennai on Saturday evening.
- Books:
- T.N. Seshan, the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, authored his autobiography titled “Through The Broken Glass”. It was published by Rupa Publications India. The book covers his term as the CEC from 1990 to 1995 and has a page count of 368.
Question:
Q.1 Who was conferred with the Global Incredible Inc Leadership Award?a. Narendra Modi
b. G Kishan Reddy
c. Amit Shah
d. Rajnath Singh
Q.2 Who were the Indian musicians that were presented with the Chevalier award by the French government?
a. Aruna Sairam and Shashank Subramanyam
b. Zakir Hussain and Ravi Shankar
c. Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle
d. None of these
