• National

POCSO (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with provision of death penalty passed by Rajya Sabha

• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed by Rajya Sabha.
• The bill seeks to enhance punishment, including a provision for death penalty, for committing sexual crimes against children.
• Replying to the debate on the Bill, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said government has sanctioned 1023 fast track courts for speedy dispensation of pending cases under POCSO and sexual assault.
• 18 states have given their consent to set up the fast track courts which will be established within a span of two years.

Note:

About Rajya Sabha

Chairperson: Venkaiah Naidu

Seats: 245 (233 Elected + 12 Nominated)

Leader of the House: Thawar Chand Gehlot, BJP; since 11 June 2019

Next election: April 2020

Founder: Constituent Assembly of India

• National

President’s secretary Sanjay Kothari gets a 3-year extension in post

• On July 24, 2019, The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the tenure extension of Sanjay Kothari (a 1978-batch IAS officer Haryana) as President’s secretary.
• His extension of service will be effective parallel to the President’s tenure or till further orders.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the extension of Kothari, a 1978-batch IAS officer from Haryana, “on co-terinus basis with the President or until further orders”.

Note:

About Haryana

Capital: Chandigarh

HDI rank: 7th

National Tree: Peepal

Sex ratio: 879♀/♂

National Animal: Black buck

• International

British Council of India and The Universities UK International (UUKi) launched UKIERI mobility program

• The British Council of India and Universities UK International have joined hands together for the launch of UKIERI Mobility Programme: Study in India.
• It is a study in India bilateral pilot program in which UK universities will send the UK students to India, collaborating with Indian partners of this program, for the students’ study and research work.
• Director of UUKi Vivienne Stern added that students who go abroad tend to do better academically and professionally.

Note:

About UK

Prime minister: Boris Johnson

Capital: London

Currency: Pound sterling

• Economy and Business

DCC imposes penalty of Rs.3050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone Idea on recommendations by TRAI

• Airtel and Vodafone had been fined Rs 1,050 crore each, whereas Idea had to pay Rs 950 crore.
• The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) upheld the penalty against Vodafone Idea and Airtel.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended a cumulative fine of Rs 3,050 crore against the two telecom operators for not providing points of interconnection to Reliance Jio.

Note:

About TRAI

Founded: 20 February 1997

Sector: Telecommunications

Jurisdiction: India

Headquarters: New Delhi

Agency executive: Ram Sewak Sharma (Chairman), Sunil K. Gupta (Secretary)

• Sports

Boxing Legend Manny Pacquiao Wins WBA Super Welterweight title 2019

• Filipino professional boxer, Manny Pacquiao (40) claimed the WBA (World Boxing Association) welterweight championship 2019 by defeating Keith Thurman of US at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, United States.
• One judge scored the welterweight bout 114-113 to Thurman (29-1), who was knocked down by Pacquiao in the opening round.
• Pacquiao retained his WBA Regular welterweight crown with a unanimous-decision victory over Adrien Broner in January and he stormed out of the blocks at the iconic American venue.

Note:

About World Boxing Association

Headquarters: Panama

President: Gilberto Mendoza

Founded: 1921

Abbreviation: WBA

Purpose: Boxing sanctioning organization

• Appointments

IFS Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed as PS to PM

• On July 23, 2019, The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, notified that Sanjeev Kumar Singla, a 1997 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer, was appointed as the Private Secretary (PS) to the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in Level-14 with effect from June 14, 2019.
• He succeeds Vivek Kumar.
• He was the PS to PM since 2014. But was recently appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the State of Israel.

Note:

About Indian Foreign Service

Formed: October 9, 1946

Foreign Secretary: Vijay Keshav Gokhale, IFS

Cabinet Secretary: Pradeep Kumar Sinha, IAS

Headquarters: New Delhi

• Resignation

Tesla Co-founder and CTO, JB Straubel to resign

• The Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CFO) of Tesla, JB Straubel will step down as an executive of the concern after 16 years of service.
• He will take on an advisory role of the company.
• The vice president of technology, Drew Baglino will succeed JB Straubel.
• He was a part of Tesla since 2003.

Note:

About Tesla

CEO: Elon Musk

Founded: 1 July 2003, San Carlos, California, United States

Production output: 245,162 vehicles (2018)

Founders: Elon Musk, Martin Eberhard, JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, Ian Wright

• Important Days

Kargil Vijay Diwas to be celebrated on July 26

• Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26 July every year to commemorate India’s victory and honour the brave war heroes.
• India won the two-month-long war by regaining control of all the previously held territory, re-establishing the status quo ante bellum.
• President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the soldiers who defended India during the Kargil war, in 1999.

Note:

About India

Prime minister: Narendra Modi Trending

Capital: New Delhi

President: Ram Nath Kovind

• Obituaries

'Blade Runner' actor Rutger Hauer passes away at 75

• Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, who specialized in menacing roles, including a memorable turn as a murderous android in ‘Blade Runner’ opposite Harrison Ford, has died.
• He was 75.
• He won a supporting-actor Golden Globe award in 1988 for ‘Escape from Sobibor.’

• Obituaries

Former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee A.K. Roy passed away

• Arun Kumar [A.K.] Roy, former Lok Sabha MP and founder of Marxist Coordination Committee (MCC) passed away due to multi-organ failure in Dhanbad.
• He was 90.
• Roy, thrice MLA of the Bihar Assembly, and three-time MP from Dhanbad.

• States

UP becomes No. 1 in implementation of Pradhanamntri Suraksha Bima Yojana

• Uttar Pradesh has become No.1 in implementation of PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
• 95 Cr people have been given insurance cover under the scheme till 31 Mar 2019.
• People can get accidental insurance cover of ₹ 2 L by paying a nominal premium of ₹ 12 annually.
• Information provided by department of institutional finance of state also says that Uttar Pradesh stands second in the country in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana, another flagship scheme of the Union Government.

Note:

About Uttar Pradesh

Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath

Population: 20.42 crores (2012)

Capital: Lucknow

Governor: Anandiben Patel

• States

“Dracaena cambodiana”, India’s first dragon blood-oozing tree discovered in Assam

• A three-member research team led by Assam forest officer Jatindra Sarma has discovered Dracaena cambodiana, a dragon tree species in Dongka Sarpo area of West Karbi Anglong district in Assam.
• This is the first time that a dragon tree species, whose sap turns bright red after coming in contact with air has been reported from India.

Note:

About Assam

Capital: Dispur

Literacy (2011): 72.19%

Sex ratio (2011): 958 ♀/1000 ♂

Chief minister: Sarbananda Sonowal

• States

Odisha renews efforts to revive Gharial- crocodile species

• Gharial is critically endangered species of crocodile, native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.
• Also known as Gavial, the renewed efforts to protect these crocodiles were taken by the Odisha government by releasing five reptiles (3 females and 2 male) into the Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi – the southernmost limit of gharials’ home range.
• The gharials are individually marked and fitted with radio transmitters for future identification and tracking of their migration route.

Note:

About Odisha

Capital: Bhubaneswar

Governor: Ganeshi Lal

Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

• Miscellaneous

Scaly-Foot Snail became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining

• On July 18, 2019, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added Scaly-Foot Snail to its updated Red List of Endangered Species.
• Scaly-Foot Snail (Sea Pangolin)-Chrysomallon squamiferum became the first-ever species endangered due to deep-sea mining.
• The scaly-foot snail is found at only three hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean, occupying a total area roughly the size of two American football fields, says Julia Sigwart, a deep-sea biologist at Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

Note:

About IUCN

Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland

CEO: Inger Andersen

Founder: Julian Huxley

Founded: 5 October 1948

• Agreements

EESL and Noida Authority Sign MoU for 100 EV Charging Points in the city

• The Noida Authority has entered into a pact with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) for setting up infrastructure for mobility based on clean energy.
• It will provide EESL with space at parking lots for setting up 100 charging stations.
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Ritu Maheshwari, CEO Noida Authority, and Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director for EESL, a joint venture of public sector undertakings under the Union Ministry of Power, in the presence of NOIDA chairperson Alok Tandon.
• “The MoU with EESL is part of our green initiatives.

Note:

About EESL

EESL: Energy Efficiency Services Limited

Ministry: Ministry of Power (India)

Founded: 2009

Key people: R. K. Singh Rajeev Sharma(Chairman)