- National:
- Indian Naval ships INS Rana, a guided missile destroyer, and INS Sumedha, an indigenously built offshore patrol vessel undertook a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Navy ship FS Surcouf, in the Bay of Bengal on 30 June 2023.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh and distributed sickle cell genetic status cards to the beneficiaries.
- On 3rd July 2023, the National Anti-Doping Agency, India (NADA India) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SARADO) in New Delhi.
- Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy released a postal cover on ‘9 Years of Telangana Statehood’ and picture post cards on ‘Buddhist Heritage in Telangana – Bavapur Kurru’ in Hyderabad.
- The second edition of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between India and Tanzania was held in Arusha on June 28 & 29, 2023. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Shri Amitabh Prasad and included senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.
- According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) were responsible for 395,000 deaths among children under five years of age in 2019.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its 27th Financial Stability Report (FSR) in June 2023. The report assesses risks to financial stability and the resilience of the Indian financial system.
- State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its enhanced digital banking application ‘YONO for Every Indian’ and the Interoperable Cardless Cash Withdrawal (ICCW) facility.
- SpaceX launched the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope on a mission to explore the secrets of the ‘dark universe’ .
- James Webb Space Telescope has detected what appear to be six massive ancient galaxies, which astronomers are calling “universe breakers” because their existence could upend current theories of cosmology.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host Russian President Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders at the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday.
- The Centre has approved a scheme that will provide support to minor rape survivors who have been abandoned by their family, often due to pregnancy, and have no other means to support themselves.
- The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kānvarias or “Bhole”, to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River.
- Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has launched the eSARAS mobile app to enhance marketing support for goods produced by women in Self-help Groups (SHGs).
- The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) to drive innovation and collaboration in next-generation wireless technology.
- Startup20 Shikhar Summit was organized by the Startup20 Engagement Group under India’s G20 Presidency in Gurugram. The two-day event represents a significant achievement, celebrating the successful completion of Startup20’s inaugural year and the release of the final Policy Communiqué.
- Economy:
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that 76% of the Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023 have since been returned.
- According to a report by the World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO), India’s share of global commercial services exports has doubled from 2 percent in 2005 to 4.4 percent in 2022.
- World:
- According to a report by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group, at least 354 people have been executed in Iran in the first half of 2023. This number is 36% higher than in the same period in 2022, when 261 people were executed.
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the establishment of a new Ministry of Investment. The ministry is aimed at developing the investment vision of the country and enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.
- Sports:
- Nadubhagom Chundan (snake boat) of the Nadubhagom Boat Club lifted the Raja Pramukhan Trophy in the Champakulam Moolam boat race held on the Pampa river at Champakulam in Kuttanad.
- Indian men’s football team won the SAFF Championship 2023 title after beating Kuwait 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. This was India’s ninth SAFF Championship in 14 editions.
- Max Verstappen won the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. He claimed another dominating win and also set the fastest lap as well. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing team-mate Sergio Perez.
- Important Days:
- World Sports Journalists Day is celebrated every year on July 2nd to recognize the accomplishments of sports journalists and encourage aspiring journalists in the field. It was created in 1994 by the International Sports Press Association to celebrate its 70th anniversary.
- July 3 is observed as International Plastic Bag Free Day to raise awareness of the serious and urgent problem of plastic pollution in the environment.
- Appointments:
- Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party leader, took oath as the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on July 2, 2023 at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. He joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government along with 8 other MLAs from his party.
- PM Prasad has taken over as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Coal India Limited. He was previously the CMD of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
Questions:
Q.1 Who took oath as the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister in 2023?a. Devendra Fadnavis
b. Ajit Pawar
c. Eknath Shinde
d. Sharad Pawar
Q.2 Who has taken over as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Coal India Limited?
a. Gopal Singh
b. Polavarapu Mallikharjuna Prasad
c. PM Prasad
d. None of the above
