Test: July 2021 Weekly Current Affair - 3 - UPSC MCQ

In July 2021, Government has said that over 30 crore loans amounting to 15 lakh 97 thousand crore rupees have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana since inception of the Scheme in April, 2015. Under the scheme, institutional credit up to 10 lakh rupees is provided for entrepreneurial activities to micro and small business units.

An MoU was signed between the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda and the Gujarat government to pave way for strengthening the education system in all branches of Ayurveda.

The Union Cabinet approved a pact between India and Russia regarding cooperation on coking coal, a key steel making raw material, for which domestic players remain dependent on imports from a select group of countries

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has introduced Arogya Rakshak, a non-linked, non-participating, regular premium, individual, health insurance plan.

To bring digital transformation in the way rail assets are being managed in the country, the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is implementing an integrated real-time enterprise management system (iDREAMS).

To further enhance the initiatives of Digital India Programme, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has enabled map services in UMANG App ‘ through Memorandum of Understanding with MapmyIndia.

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been appointed as the Deputy Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. He has succeeded Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who has now taken over as the leader of House in the Rajya Sabha.

In a major boost to Atmanirbhar Bharat and strengthening Army, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM).

Singapore unveiled one of the world’s largest floating solar panel farms, which can produce enough electricity to power the island’s five water treatment plants.

Union Cabinet has approved Production-linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel with incentives of Rs. 6,322 crore. This will be provided over a period of five years.

India’s largest lender State Bank of India has selected Paisalo Digital as its National Corporate Business Correspondent for boosting its financial inclusion drive with the help of kiosk-based banking services.

The Asian Development Bank has downgraded India’s economic growth forecast for the current financial year to 10 per cent, from 11 per cent projected in April, on account of the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The projection for FY2022 (ending in March 2023) is upgraded from 7 per cent to 7.5 per cent as economic activity normalises.

Reserve bank of India is planning to launch Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the near future. Deputy Governor T Rabi Shankar said, RBI is currently working towards a phased implementation strategy and examining use cases which could be implemented with little or no disruption.

The United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, have agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.

Qatar Airways and the International Air Transport Association announced that Qatar Airways will become the first airline in the Middle East to join the IATA Turbulence Aware platform.

Telangana celebrated the ‘Asha Bonalu’ festival, one of the biggest traditional folk festivals in the state. The Bonalu festival was declared a ‘state festival’ by the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government after the state’s formation back in 2014.

With an objective to ensure women empowerment and livelihood to six lakh women on a permanent basis through the YSR Cheyutha scheme, the Andhra Pradesh government exchanged MoUs with 14 companies

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has launched a new campaign called ‘KALA VISHWA’, from its Mumbai Centre. Kala Vishwas is a special campaign under the Horizon Series that will be held for a duration of six months to reach out to traditional folk artists, local artistes / artisans

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma launched a Mobile App ‘Pensioners’ Life Certificate Verification’ that will offer pensioners a hassle-free interface with the pension disbursing authority to prove that they are alive. For better end-to-end delivery of service, a chatbot called MEDA has also been incorporated in the App where the pensioners can ask queries and type the suggestions for improvement of the App which will be duly monitored.

A group of influential Indian-Americans, scholars, diplomats and entrepreneurs have come together to write an anthology ‘Kamala Harris and the Rise of Indian Americans’ to document the historic election of Kamala Harris as the Vice President of the United States and the rise of the small but powerful Indian diaspora in this country.
Compiled and edited by veteran Indian editor Tarun Basu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the first copy of “The Ramayana of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji” which is written by the late Baljit Kaur Tulsi—the mother of noted lawyer KTS Tulsi.

The government has borrowed and given to the states Rs 75,000 crore to make up for the shortfall in their revenues because of the GST implementation.

Industry body IAMAI said Google India Vice President and Managing Director Sanjay Gupta has been elected as its chairman for the period 2021-23. He succeeds Amazon Senior Vice President and India Country Manager Amit Agarwal.

Lewis Hamilton celebrated a record eighth British Grand Prix victory after fighting back from a 10-second penalty for a first-lap collision that halted the race and sent title rival Max Verstappen to hospital.

Consumers in Gurugram will no longer have to stand in long queues, nor worry about the shopkeeper giving less ration, as India’s first ‘Grain ATM’ has been set up in the district as a pilot project.