Current Affairs in English – July 5 2022

National Events:

Paschim Banga Gramin Bank:

The Paschim Banga Gramin Bank has joined hands with SBI Life Insurance for a bancassurance pact .
The partnership will see all the branches of Paschim Banga Gramin Bank across West Bengal offer SBI Life’s range of protection , wealth creation , credit life , annuity and savings products .
Bancassurance is an arrangement between a bank and an insurance company .

Sarojini Mohanta:

Forest officials in Odisha’s Bonai forest division have named a small patch of a forest after a daily – wager changemaker woman , Sarojini Mohanta .She created the forest from scratch in just two years.
Mohanta was hired to look after the saplings planted as a part of the reforestation of the area under the District Mineral Foundation programme .

NFSA 2022:

Odisha has topped the ranking of states for implementation of the National Food Security Act ( NFSA ) , followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh . Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal released the ‘ State Ranking Index for NFSA ‘ 2022 .
Among the special category states , Tripura has obtained the first rank . Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are at the second and third positions.

HDFC Bank & Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd ( HDFC ):

HDFC Bank has informed that RBI has approved its proposed merger with parent and mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd ( HDFC ) .
HDFC Bank and HDFC had announced a deal in April 2022 to alllow access to a captive customer base to cross – sell products . HDFC Bank sells home loans , while HDFC approves and disburses .

India’s merchandise export:

India’s merchandise export registered a growth of 16.8 percent in June 2022 over the corresponding period of 2021 . India’s merchandise exports has reached to 37.9 billion US dollar in June 2022 which was 32.49 billion US dollar in June 2021 .
Data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry showed that merchandise export in April – June quarter of 2022 registered a growth of 22.22 percent .

Ranking of States ‘ Exercise on Support to Startup Ecosystem:

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on 4 July 2022 released the results of the third edition of Ranking of States ‘ Exercise on Support to Startup Ecosystems in New Delhi .
Gujarat and Karnataka emerged as the ” best performers ” while Meghalaya bagged the top honour among Northeastern ( NE ) states . Among smaller states and UTS , Jammu and Kashmir was adjudged the top performer .

TIHAN:

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first Autonomous Navigation facility , TIHAN at the IIT Hyderabad campus on 4 July 2022 .
TIHAN ( Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation ) has been developed by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology .
It is a multidisciplinary initiative which aims to make India a global player in futuristic ‘ Smart Mobility ‘ technology .

CoE-SURVEI:

Centre of Excellence on Satellite & Unmanned Remote Vehicle Initiative ( CoE – SURVEI ) has developed an Artificial Intelligence – based software in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre .
This software can automatically detect change on the ground , including unauthorised constructions & encroachments in a time series using Satellite Imagery . The CoE – SURVEI was inaugurated in 2016 .

IRDAI & NHA:

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority ( IRDAI ) & National Health Authority ( NHA ) have decided to develop a National Health Claims Exchange . It will be developed as a digital platform to settle health claims across the country .
IRDAI Chairman Debasish Panda has proposed the creation of a working group with representation from the industry to utilise this exchange . NHA CEO- R S Sharma.

Suraksha Manthan 2022:

The Desert Corps of the Indian Army organised the ” Suraksha Manthan 2022 ” at Jodhpur , Rajasthan on 1 July 2022 .
It was organised on the aspects of Border & Coastal Security .

Global Film Tourism Conclave ( GFTC ):

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated the fifth Global Film Tourism Conclave ( GFTC ) in Mumbai on 1 July 2022 . PHD Chamber Commerce and Industry ( PHDCCI ) has organised the fifth GFTC .
The theme for 5th edition of GFTC is ‘ Unleashing the Power of Cinematic Tourism ‘ . It has been organised with the Ministry of Tourism & Ministry of Information & Broadcasting .

NCRTC & DB:

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation ( NCRTC ) on 1 July 2022 signed an agreement with Deutsche Bank ( DB ) India .
Under this agreement , DB India will operate and maintain the 82 – km – long Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System ( RRTS ) corridor for a period of 12 years . This corridor is the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System ( RRTS ) corridor .

Ayurveda Ratna Award:

Tanuja Nesari , Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda ( AIIA ) has been conferred with the ‘ Ayurveda Ratna Award ‘ by the UK Parliament . Dr Nesari has been honoured for her exceptional service of the highest order for the promotion of Ayurveda .
The UK’s All – Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences ( ITSappg ) conferred this award on Dr Nesari .

Indian Naval Air Squadron 324:

Indian Naval Air Squadron 324 was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam on 04 Jul 2022 .
This unit is the first Naval Squadron on the Eastern Seaboard operating the indigenously designed and built Advanced Light Helicopter ( ALH ) MK III helicopters .
INAS 324 squadron has been named ‘ Kestrels , after a bird species that has good sensory capabilities .

Tamil Nadu Events:

‘Bacillus sp PM06’:

IIT-Chennai researchers have discovered the use of agricultural waste to produce industrial enzymes and bioethanol, a second-generation fuel.
There is a growing demand for industrial enzymes such as alpha-amylase and cellulase in various industries including pharmaceutical manufacturing in India.
In this context, IIT Chennai researchers have discovered how a bacterium called ‘Bacillus sp PM06’ helps produce industrial enzymes and value-added products from agricultural waste.

International Events:

India-Armenia:

The eight – session of the India – Armenia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade , Economic , Scientific and Technological , Cultural and Educational Cooperation was held in Yerevan on 4 July 2022 .
India and Armenia also signed an MoU on High Impact Community Development Projects in Armenia with financial and technical assistance from India .