22 July 2021 Current Affairs English

1. National Flag Adoption Day 2021.

The Indian tricolour national flag is seen flying above the Mantralaya state secretariat building in Mumbai on September 27, 2012. AFP PHOTO/ INDRANIL MUKHERJEE (Photo credit should read INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/GettyImages)

• National Flag Adoption Day is used to celebrate on the 22nd July to make the people aware of the Indian Flag which represents the Whole Nation consists of the Crores of the Indian People.

KEY POINT

• India got freedom from the rule of the Britishers and they got freedom on the 15th August 1947 where all the people of India got every right and opportunity to move around every part of the Country.

 

• There is a great importance of celebrating the National Flag Adoption Day to make the people aware of the value of the Indian National Flag and know the History of the Indian Flag. People should Respect the Indian National Flag as it represents the Whole Indian Country. Indian National Flag is hoisted every year on the 15th of August by the Government of India to Respect the National Flag as well as Respect the Indian Leaders who gave India Freedom from many Britishers.

 

• Every Indian should give Respect to the National Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhiji, Swami Vivekanand, Subhash Chandra Bose and many other Leaders who Freedom to India from the Britishers Raj.

 

 

2. New generation Akash missile and antitank guided missile.

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on July 21 successfully flight tested the indigenously developed new generation, medium range, mobile surface-to-air missile Akash (Akash-NG) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the Odisha coast.

 

KEY POINT

 

• The missile system has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.

 

 

 

• The new version of the Akash missile (Akash-NG) can strike targets at a distance of around 60 km and fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5.

 

• the New Generation Akash Missile will prove to be a force multiplier for the air defence capability of the Indian Air Force.

 

3. UP Govt starts trial run of electric buses in Lucknow .

• Taking a big leap towards the pollution free public transport system, Uttar Pradesh Government started the trial run of electric buses in state capital Lucknow. Very soon the buses will be running in 14 cities of the state.

KEY POINT

• The prototype type trial of buses started today in state capital Lucknow during which four buses will ply for around 180 km daily. After the success of the trial 700 buses will start running in 14 cities.

 

• These AC luxury AC buses have comfortable seats and many security features also which includes GPS tracking system cctv. Panic button and automatic doors.

 

• These buses will have normal fare like any other bus and it can run for 120 km in 45 minutes after one time charging.

 

• 5 charging stations will be made for charging of these buses in state capital Lucknow. State government is implementing the project of running electric buses in 14 cities with the help of Central Government.

 

• 600 buses will run in cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, prayagraj, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Jhansi, Aligarh, Moradabad and Bareilly with the help of Central Government funding while state government will fund for the buses in Mathura Vrindavan Gorakhpur and Shahjahanpur.

 

• The total budget of the scheme is around 965 Crore rupees while the operator of the bus will be given subsidy of 45 lakh rupees per bus.

 

 

4. Haiti: Ariel Henry sworn in as new PM.

• In Haiti, Ariel Henry has been sworn in as the new prime minister, around two weeks after the country’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated.

KEY POINT

 

• Moise had asked Henry to take up the role days before he was murdered in the capital Port-au-Prince. Ariel Henry could not take over the post immediately as he was locked in a political tussle with Claude Joseph, the country’s interim PM at the time of the attack.

 

• However, Joseph stepped down paving the way not only for Henry’s swearing-in but also for elections in September this year.

 

• After taking the oath, Henry said that one of his priorities would be to reassure the people that the government will do everything to restore order and security.

 

• The inauguration took place as an official memorial began for Moïse, who was killed at his private residence on 7 July. Jovenel Moïse was killed on 7th July. He had ruled by decree in Haiti since 2018.

 

 

5. Uttar Pradesh government to set up Panchayat Secretariat in all panchayats of state.

• Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has decided to set up a panchayat secretariat in all panchayats of the state. The move is aimed at strengthening the rural democracy and providing employment to the rural youth. Panchayat secretariat will be established in all gram panchayats for the first time in the state. There are currently 58,189 gram panchayats in UP.

 

KEY POINT

 

• State government has also decided to provide free healthcare to all antyodaya card holders who are not covered under any healthcare scheme. This will benefit around 40 lakh families.

 

• the government has decided to create about 1.6 lakh jobs, two each in 58,189 gram panchayats in the state by appointing a computer operator and an assistant who will work from panchayat bhawans or rural secretariat buildings to be constructed at gram panchayats where such infrastructure doesn’t exist at the moment.

 

• The Panchayat assistant will be given 6 thousand rupees as remuneration. The state government has also decided to include 40 lakh Antyodaya ration card holders, under the Mukhyamantri Arogya Yojana, the Chief Minister’s free medical insurance scheme that provides for upto 5 lakh rupees free insurance cover. These are the families which are not getting any kind of health insurance cover.

 

6. UNESCO’s ‘Historic Urban Landscape’ project for Gwalior, Orchha launched.

• In Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior and Orchha cities have been selected by UNESCO under ‘Historic Urban Landscape Project’, which was started in the year 2011, for the inclusive and well-planned development of fast-growing historical cities while preserving the culture and heritage.

 

KEY POINT

• Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan virtually launched UNESCO’s ‘Historic Urban Landscape’ project for Gwalior and Orchha cities of the state through video conferencing.

 

• Six cities of South Asia, including Ajmer and Varanasi in India are already involved in this project.

 

• Orchha and Gwalior have been included as the 7th and 8th cities.

 

• The cities will be jointly developed by UNESCO, Government of India and Madhya Pradesh by focusing on their historical and cultural improvement.

 

• This project will help MP tourism get a new dimension. Additional employment opportunities will also be created along with the development of tourism.

 

7. Taiwan

• Using the name “Taiwan,” Taiwan’s government will set up its first office in Europe, in the Baltic nation of Lithuania. The Taiwan government has come up with this decision as it seeks to strengthen its diplomatic presence across the globe with the ever increasing pressure from Beijing.

 

KEY POINT

• This decision has drawn a rebuke from China while it was praised by the USA.
• Joseph Wu, Foreign Minister of Taiwan announced the government’s decision to open its office in Lithuania.
• The other diplomatic outposts of Taiwan on the continent are named “”
• Taiwan Affairs Office of Beijing has issued statement saying that the formation of the Lithuania office is an attempt at seeking independence. China has also urged Lithuania to adhere to China’s one-China principle.

 

About Taiwan

• The Republic of China or Taiwan is a country in East Asia. It is made up of the island of Taiwan and some other islands. Its administrative headquarters is the island of Taiwan. It is bordered by the People’s Republic of China (China) to the west, Japan to the northeast, the Philippines to the south. Taiwan broke away from China after China’s civil war in 1949, but China still calls it a dissident state of its own and China has threatened to attack if independence is declared.
• Taiwan is a country that is not a member of the United Nations, despite having the world’s largest population and one of the largest economies.

 

8. IMF to keep 2021 global growth forecast at 6%

     

• The International Monetary Fund is estimating this month that global growth for 2021 will be about 6%, the same as forecast in April, but with some countries growing faster and others more slowly, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday.

KEY POINT

• economic recovery will be held back unless the pace of COVID-19 vaccination picks up, adding that a goal of ending the pandemic by the end of 2022 will not be reached at the current pace.
• The IMF projected in April that 2021 global growth would hit 6%, a rate unseen since the 1970s, as vaccine availability improves and economies reopen with the help of unprecedented fiscal stimulus, particularly in the United States.
• But Georgieva said the relative lack of vaccine access in developing countries and the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant was threatening to slow the recovery’s momentum.
• The IMF is scheduled to release its next World Economic Outlook forecast update on July 27, but Georgieva said the IMF’s projected global growth rate for this year would remain at 6%.

About International Monetary Fund

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is headquartered in Washington, D.C and was formed in the year 1944. It is an international financial institution that consists of 200 countries working towards global monetary and financial cooperation. Kristalina Georgieva is the current MD of IMF and the Chief Economist is Gita Gopinath.

 

9. UNESCO strips Liverpool of its world heritage status.

     

• The English city of Liverpool has been removed from UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites after the United Nations’ cultural agency found new buildings,including a football stadium, undermined the attractiveness of its Victorian docks.

KEY POINT

• Liverpool was named a World Heritage Site in 2004, joining cultural landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The city is only the third place to be removed from the prestigious list.
• The only other sites stripped previously of the title are a wildlife sanctuary in Oman in 2007 after poaching and habitat loss and the Dresden Elbe valley in Germany in 2009 when a four-lane motorway bridge was built over the river.
• The heritage label gives historic sites access to UN conservation funding as well as featuring in tourist guidebooks across the world.

Why was Liverpool removed from the list?

• In 2012 the city was placed on the list for World Heritage in Danger. In Liverpool’s case, a $7 billion dollar regeneration plan for its historic waterfront caused the city’s removal from the list. The project also includes the building of luxury apartments which raised concerns.
• Liverpool’s mayor, Joanne Anderson, said that she was disappointed by this decision taken by UNESCO.