NATIONAL NEWS

Assam's Charaideo Maidam

• During the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee ,the Charaideo Maidam (pyramids) in eastern Assam has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list under the category of cultural property.

Assam

Shinkun La Tunnel project

• According to a PMO release, The Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 4.1-kilometre-long twin-tube tunnel that will be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 feet on the Nimu-Padum-Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh and once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world.

Meeting of NITI Aayog

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi.
• This year's theme is ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’, with a central focus on making India a developed nation.

NITI Aayog

Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC)

• India has taken over as the Chair of Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), an autonomous international organisation for cooperation in and implementation of disaster risk reduction and building climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific region, for 2024-25.

SOFI Report

• According to the United Nations’ State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published on July 24, 2024, 55.6 per cent Indians unable to afford a healthy diet.
• In 2017, the proportion of the population not being able to afford a healthy diet in India was 69.5 per cent.

UN

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

G20 finance ministers

• G20 finance ministers held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro in which a consensus was made on to seek to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed.

G20

CAATSA 

• US Republican Senator Marco Rubio has introduced a bill that provides a limited exemption for India from Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchasing Russian equipment and treating India at par with allies like Japan, Israel and South Korea regarding technology transfers.

India-US: Cultural Property Agreement

• The Government of India and the Government of the United States of America signed the first ever 'Cultural Property Agreement' to prevent and curb the illicit trafficking of antiquities from India to the USA, today, the 26th July, 2024 on the sidelines of the 46th World Heritage Committee, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Meetings of ASEAN members

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in meetings of ASEAN members in Laos, Vientiane.

Indonesia launched Golden Visa

• Indonesia launched a long-term visa scheme designed to attract foreign investors. The initiative offers visas of up to 10 years to investors, aiming to draw significant investments into Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Indonesia

ECONOMY & BANKING

Corrective Action Framework

• The RBI issued a prompt corrective action framework for urban cooperative banks with an aim to enabling supervisory intervention at an appropriate time. 
• The provisions of the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) Framework for Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) will be effective from April 1, 2025.

RBI

Lithium deposits

• According to Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) confirmed the discovery of 1,600 tonnes of lithium in Mandya and initial surveys in Yadgiri, Karnataka. The exploration extends to Chhattisgarh's Korba.

AMD

First integrated agri-export facility

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal approved the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA)'s project of 'Development of Export-Import cum Domestic Agricultural Commodity-Based Processing & Storage Facility at JNPA on PPP Mode'.
• It will be India's first integrated agri-export facility at Port.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Raising Day of CRPF personnel

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Raising Day is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the force and its commitment to serving the nation.
• CRPF is the largest paramilitary force in India established as Crown Representative's Police on July 27, 1939 and renamed the Central Reserve Police Force in 1949.

CRPF

ENVIRONMENT + SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Exoplanet: Eps Ind Ab

• An international team of astronomers, including Dr. Prashant Pathak from IIT-Kanpur, has discovered a giant exoplanet named Epsilon Indi Ab (Eps Ind Ab) orbiting a nearby star similar to our Sun.
• The discovery was made with the James Webb Space Telescope.

James Webb Space Telescope

Axiom-4 mission

• In August 2024, two Indian astronauts will start training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for the Axiom-4 mission, which will mark India’s first crewed visit to the ISS. 
• This Indo-US collaboration is a significant milestone in the Gaganyaan program, reflecting the growing partnership in space exploration.

NASA

DEFENCE

Reservation to Agniveers

• Uttarakhand & Madhya Pradesh Governments has announcement provision of Quota in their respective States.