NATIONAL:
1. Unparliamentary Words
Why in news - The Lok Sabha secretariat on July 14 released a 50-page compilation of words deemed unfit for use in Parliament.
Key Points –
• Rule 380 (“Expunction”) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha - Speaker may expunge defamatory or indecent or undignified words from the proceedings of the House.
• Article 105(2) - “no Member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee thereof”,
2. India’s First Monkeypox Case
Why in news - The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in India on July 14 in Kerala. He had returned from UAE. The person’s samples were tested at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
About Monkeypox –
• It is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox.
• It was first discovered in 1958.
• The first human-to-human transmission case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Symptoms - lymph nodes swell, fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, and exhaustion.
• It occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme
Why in news - According to guidelines issued by the M/o WCD, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao would now be extended across the country (640 districts).
Key Points –
• It is operational in 405 districts at present.
• New targets –
A. Improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) by 2 points every year.
B. Improve percentage of institutional deliveries at 95% or above,
C. 1% increase in 1st Trimester ANC Registration per year,
D. 1% increase in enrolment at secondary education level per year.
• M/o WCD has introduced a new component of Nari Adalat for providing women with an alternate grievance redress mechanism at gram panchayat-level.
About BBBP –
• It was launched on January 22, 2015 in Haryana to arrest the declining Child Sex Ratio.
• It’s a convergent initiative of M/o Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.
• It is implemented by states with 100% central assistance.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Jerusalem Declaration
Why in news - Joe Biden and Yair Lapid signed a joint strategic declaration in Jerusalem in which the U.S. vowed to use “all elements in its national power” to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. I2U2 Summit
Why in news - PM Narendra Modi participated in the first-ever I2U2 Virtual Summit on July 14.
Key Points –
• Six areas of cooperation have been identified by the countries mutually.
• UAE announced an investment of USD 2 billion to develop a series of integrated food parks across India to tackle food insecurity.
• I2U2 group will also advance a hybrid renewable energy project in Gujarat consisting of 300 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar capacity.
• India aims to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
About I2U2 –
• Group of India, Israel, the UAE and USA.
• I2 stands for India and Israel, whereas U2 stands for USA and the UAE.
REPORTS & INDICES:
1. World’s Greatest Places of 2022
Why in news - TIME magazine released the name of “50 extraordinary destinations to explore” in its list of the world’s greatest places of 2022.
Key Points –
• From India, Ahmedabad city and the state of Kerala have been listed.
• Ahmedabad is India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City.
• Kerala is known as “God’s own country”.
• Kerala‘s first caravan park, Karavan Meadows, is a scenic hill station.
AWARDS & HONOURS:
1. Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
Why in news – Japan to honor former PM Shinzo Abe (posthumously) with the 'Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum'. He is the fourth former PM to receive Japan's highest honor under the Constitution.
BOOKS & AUTHORS:
1. The McMahon line : A Century of Discord
Why in news – The book “The McMahon Line: A Century of Discord” written by retired Army Chief General JJ Singh has been released.
2. Connecting through Culture
Why in news – EAM S. Jaishankar launched “Connecting through Culture” at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in New Delhi, India. It an anthology of essays on various aspects of India’s soft power strengths.
3. The Avoidable War
Why in news – The book is written by former Australian PM Kevin Rudd. It analyses the layers of the US-China relationship and the need for strategic competition.
AGREEMENTS:
1. First Sports City in the Metaverse
Why in news – Shikhar Dhawan announced a partnership with Web3 metaverse startup WIOM and financial firm Bliv.Club to build the first sports city in the metaverse.
SPORTS:
1. Asian U-20 Wrestling Championships
Why in news – The event recently concluded in in Manama, Bahrain.
Key Points –
• Indian grapplers won 22 medals (4 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze).
• In both the men’s and women’s wrestling, the Indian team finished second.
• They finished fifth in the Men’s Greco-Roman event.
OBITUARIES:
1. Luis Echeverria
Why in news – Former Mexican President Luis Echeverria Alvarez dead at the age of 100.
STATES/UTs:
1.“Earn with Learn” Scheme
Why in news - Tripura has started “Earn with Learn” scheme to bring back the people who have dropped out of schools after the outbreak of Covid-19.
BIHAR:
1. Ganga-Damodar-Swarnrekha River Link
Why in news - National Water Development Authority has entrusted NIT Patna with task to prepare a report on the feasibility of interlinking three rivers.
Key Points –
• To be completed in 1.5 years (March 2024). Rs 1 crore would be spent.
• To connect Damodar river and Ganga, a site near Durgapur barrage has been identified.
• To connect Damodar and Swarnarekha, a site near the Swarnarekha barrage has been marked.
Background -
• Four selected institutes - NIT Patna, NIT Warangal, IIT Guwahati and National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee.
• Jal Shakti ministry aims to link 37 rivers with each other.
• In 960-70, Dr. KL Rao proposed to link the rivers and form “National Water Grid” for mitigating the severe water shortages.
2. Ramai Ram
Why in news - Former minister and nine-time MLA Ramai Ram passed away on July 14, 2022.
Key Points –
• He won the assembly elections from Bochahan in Muzaffarpur for nine consecutive terms from 1972 to 2010.
• He was a prominent leader of Dalits in Bihar.
3. Terror Module Busted
Why in news - Bihar Police have busted a “potential terror module indulging in anti-India activities” with links to extremist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in Phulwari Sharif area of Patna.
POINTERS:
• Who launched its Nifty 50 ETF Fund of Funds in July 2022 – Quantum Mutual Fund.
• Which of the former Indian captains was honored by the British Parliament in July 2022 – Sourav Ganguly.
• Who has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India– Mustafizur Rahman.
• Scientists of which country have developed a new mechanism (a new class of synthetic peptides) to inactivate SARS-COV-2 in July 2022 – India.
• Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched which mobile app to do face authentication – AadhaarFaceRD.
• Adani Group has obtained letter of intent (LoI) for 5G services in which state – Gujarat.
• Which state government has decided to rejoin the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana – Andhra Pradesh.
• Who has become the fastest Indian bowler to take 150 ODI wickets – Mohammed Shami.
• TCS has launched its global research and co-innovation center "TCS Pace Port Toronto" in which country - Canada.
• Defense Ministry has set a target of defense production of how many crores by 2025 - 1.75 lakh crore rupees.