Daily Current Affairs 1st July, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 1 July 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Gujarat Government launches Rs 1,369 crore ”At One Click” online cash aid
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched an online cash aid initiative titled ”At One Click” for micro small and medium enterprises and textile industries in the state.

• The state government has announced total of Rs 1,369 crore in aid for around 13,000 MSMEs in Gujarat under the program.
• Out of the toatl 1,369 crore aid, Rs 768 crore have been transferred in bank accounts of 12,247 MSME units in Gujarat while Rs 601 crore aid has been given to bigger industrial units including textile industry

Maharashtra CM Launches World’s Largest Convalescent Plasma Project
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched Project Platina, claimed to be the world’s largest convalescent plasma therapy trial-cum-treatment centre for COVID-19 patients, at Nagpur’s government medical college.

• This is the world’s largest trial-cum-treatment project, which will benefit 500 lives of critically ill COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra.
• He also inaugurated four other services such as plasma donation, plasma bank, plasma trial, and emergency authorisation at the college.

Government bans 59 mobile apps prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India
Government has banned 59 mobile apps which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

• These apps were banned in view of information available they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of the country, defence of the country and security of state and public order.
• The banned apps include TikTok, Helo and WeChat.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India, Bhutan sign 600 MW Kholongchhu hydroelectric project agreement
India and Bhutan have signed a concession agreement on the 600 MW Kholongchhu Hydroelectric Project (KHEL) for work to start on it.

• The hydroelectric project will be the first-ever Joint Venture project to be implemented in Bhutan.
• The partners of the project are India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited(SJVNL) and Druk Green Power Corporation Limited (DGPC).

BANKING & FINANCE

World Bank enhances support for rejuvenating Ganga, sanctions USD 400 mn
The World Bank said it has enhanced its support for Government of India’s program to rejuvenate Ganga river with a USD 400 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) assistance that will help stem pollution in the river.

• The assistance will help strengthen the management of the river basin which is home to more than 500 million people.

India among Switzerland’s top-3 partners for info exchange on tax matters: Global Forum
India figures among the top-three countries getting detailed information from Switzerland about bank accounts and beneficiary ownership of entities established by their residents in the Alpine nation, according to the latest study by OECD”s Global Forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.

• The latest peer review by the Global Forum, referring to the period from July 2015 to June 2018, named India among the top-three jurisdictions to which Switzerland provided information on request. The other two countries were France and Germany. 
• India is also rated as ”largely compliant” by this OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) body.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

SAP launches Global Bharat program to equip MSMEs with digital technologies
German technology firm SAP India launched the Global Bharat program, designed to enable Indian micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) become globally competitive by equipping them with digital technologies.

• In association with Nasscom Foundation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Pratham InfoTech Foundation, the program further compliments government of India’s vision to empower the MSME sector by providing them access to global marketplace, digital skilling for the workforce and transforming business processes.

States GSDP may contract by up to 14.3% in FY21 on Covid-19: Ind-Ra report
The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of all states is likely to contract up to 14.3 per cent in the current financial year due to the impact of Covid-19-induced lockdown on economic activities, says a report.The contraction will be in the range of 1.4 per cent-14.3 per cent.

• States such as Assam, Goa, Gujarat and Sikkim are likely to witness a double-digit contraction in FY2021.
• The  top five major states where the impact of lockdown was the most pronounced are Karnataka, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Odisha.
• The five major states where the impact of lockdown was the least pronounced are Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

APPOINTMENTS

President Kovind appoints UP Guv Anandiben Patel to take additional charge of MP
President Ram Nath Kovind  has appointed Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel to discharge the functions of the Governor of Madhya Pradesh.

• In addition to her duties, Anandiben Patel will look after the work of Madhya Pradesh during the absence on leave of Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Lal Ji Tandon

Lazarus Chakwera sworn in as Malawi president
Malawi’s opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in as the southern African country’s new president after winning the re-run of a hotly disputed election.

• It was a dramatic reversal of fortune for the incumbent Peter Mutharika, whose victory in a May 2019 ballot was overturned by the Constitutional Court over fraud allegations.

ENVIRONMENT

India’s ‘first’ lichen park in Uttarakhand to conserve Jurassic era plant
Indicator of pollution levels in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand forest department has claimed to have developed country’s first lichen park in Kumaon’s Munsiyari area.

• The park is developed across 1.5 hectares in Patalthor with over 80 species of lichens collected from across the Himalayan state.
• The department had started developing the park in 2019 with an aim to protect, conserve and cultivate lichen.

OBITUARIES

Charles Webb, author of ‘The Graduate,’ passes away
Charles Webb, a lifelong non-conformist whose debut novel The Graduate was a deadpan satire of his college education and wealthy background adapted into the classic film of the same name, has died. He was 81.

• His books “New Cardiff” and “The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker” were also adapted into feature films.

Milton Glaser, Designer of Iconic ‘I NY’ Logo, passes away
Milton Glaser, the renowned graphic designer who created the iconic “I Heart NY” logo, died. He was 91.

• Glaser is well-known for his 1966 psychedelic poster of Bob Dylan and for designing the logos for DC Comics, Brooklyn Brewery and Stony Brook University.
• He also co-founded New York Magazine in 1968 with Clay Felker

Renowned Jammu advocate Bhupinder Slathia passes away
Senior advocate and former president of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Bhupinder Singh Slathia passed away after a brief illnees at PGIMER Chandigarh. He was 70.

• Slathia was known for voicing the region-centric issues and remained at the forefront of several pro-Jammu agitations.
• He was one of the prominent faces leading the 2008 Amarnath land row agitation in Jammu and at times had differed with Azad on issues pertaining to the region.

Noted Kannada novelist Geetha Nagabhushan passes away
Kannada novelist Geetha Nagabhushan, whose works were known for the resistance to patriarchy and gender stereotypes, has died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital here on Sunday night. She was 78.

• She was the first woman writer to bag Kendra Sahitya Academy and Nadoja awards and serve as the chairperson of Karnataka Sahitya Academy.
• She had presided over 76th Akhil Bharat Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, a prestigious literary fest, held at Gadag in 2020.
• Her works include 50 short stories, 27 novels, 12 plays, two collections of poems and research works. Baduku (novel), Hasimamsa Mattu Haddugalu (novel), Avva Mattu Itara Kathegalu (collection of short stories), Jwalantha (collection of short stories) and Jogini (play) are among her works that were widely read and discussed.

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