- National:
- The government of India has approved an interest rate of 8.15% for the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). This interest rate was recommended by the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for its over 6 crore subscribers.
- The Indian government has appointed the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) as the nodal facilitation agency to handle telecommunication intellectual property rights (IPRs) and patents
- A total of Rs.5,729 crore has been transferred from the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund to banks towards refund of settling unclaimed deposits in the last 5 years, according to a Press Information Bureau release issued on July 24, 2023
- Jindal Aluminium Limited has achieved a special certification called AS9100D Aerospace. This certification recognizes the company as a qualified manufacturer for the aviation, space, and defense industry
- The Ministry of Steel has extended the tenure of Amitava Mukherjee’s additional charge as CMD of NMDC and NMDC Steel till November 19, 2023. Mukherjee is a Director (Finance) at NMDC and holds the additional charge of the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) NMDC and NMDC Steel
- The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) has secured a grant of 10 crore from NITI Aayog to establish India’s first Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) in fisheries at the University
- Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma team officially won the 2023 Tour de France after safely finishing Stage 21 on Sunday, July 23. This is his second consecutive win in the Tour de France. He was the top General Classification rider at the Tour for the second straight year
- Sri Lankan batter Lahiru Thirimanne has announced his retirement from international cricket after a 12-year career. The 33-year-old Lankan featured in 44 Tests, 127 One-Day Internationals and 26 T20 Internationals, having made his debut in 2010.
- An awareness program named “Anu Awareness Yatra - 2023” with the theme of ‘ATOMS IN THE SERVICE OF THE NATION’ was launched at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam
- The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 16, 2021 and was subsequently referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee on December 20, 2021.
- The Commune of Monotone in Italy along with the Italian Military historians have unveiled the ‘VC Yeshwant Ghadge Sundial Memorial’ in Perugia’s Montone area to honour Indian troops that fought alongside the Italian campaign in the Second World War
- After distributing two installments the government decided that those completing 21 years from January this year would also be included. They, however, should be married and fulfill the other existing eligibility criteria.
- Sports:
- India women’s team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been suspended for the next two international matches following two separate breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct.
- The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has decided to recognize the Handball Association of India (HAI) as the official body to run the game in the country.
- International News:
- Qin Gang was removed from his post as Foreign Minister and replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi.
- Thousands of Israeli doctors walked out of work and labour leaders threatened a general strike. This happened after the government approved a law weakening the country’s Supreme Court.
- On July 25, 2023, United States First Lady Jill Biden attended a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO in Paris, marking the United States’ official re-entry into the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organization after a five-year hiatus.
- Pedro Sanchez was formally named caretaker Prime Minister of an interim government on July 25. This interim government will remain in place until Spain resolves the political uncertainty that emerged from Sunday’s inconclusive elections.
- Important Days:
- World IVF Day, also known as World Embryologist Day, is observed on July 25 annually. The day celebrates the first IVF baby in the world born on July 25, 1978. It aims to spread awareness about the development of IVF as a stream.
- World Drowning Prevention Day is held annually on 25th July. It was declared in April 2021 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/75/273. The theme for World Drowning Prevention Day 2023 is “Do one thing to prevent drowning”.
- Economy:
- The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has detected Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion of almost ₹11,000 crore and identified more than 9,300 fake registrations after a special compliance drive over the past two months
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently revised its growth forecast for India to 6.1% for the fiscal year 2023-24. This is an upward revision of 0.2 percentage points compared to the April projection.
Questions:
Q.1 What is the new age limit for the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh?a. 18 years
b. 23 years
c. 21 years
d. 25 years
Q.2 When is World IVF Day observed?
a. July 25
b. August 25
c. September 25
d. October 25
