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Current Affairs Daily Digest – 14 July 2023

Highlights of 50th meeting of GST Council held in New Delhi On July 11, 2023, the 50th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council was held in New Delhi, Delhi under the chairpersonship of Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance.
Matters Covered during the 50th GST Council meeting
i.Rate decisions taken on goods and services, as well as clarifications issued and rate regularizations undertaken.
ii.Recommendations of various Group of Ministers (GoMs) were discussed.
iii.Clarification on compensation cess dues have been paid to the states that have submitted AG-certified claims, and the states yet to submit their AG certificates will also be settled on submission of the same.
GST Council Meeting: The 50th milestone
i.To mark the milestone of 50th meeting of the GST Council, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman(Chairperson) released a short video film titled ‘GST Council- 50 steps towards a journey’ in the presence of the Members of the Council.

The film showcases the evolution of the GST Council and is available in Hindi, English, and 11 regional languages.

ii.To commemorate this milestone, the Chief Post Master General (CPMG), Delhi, presented the Chairperson and Members of the Council with a Special Cover and customised ‘My Stamp’.

QCOs notified for Potable Water Bottles and Flame-Producing Lighters by DPIIT

On 5th July 2023, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, notified new Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on Potable Water Bottles and Flame-Producing Lighters to enhance public health and safety of consumers.

Flame – Producing Lighters (Quality Control) Order, 2023
Potable Water Bottles (Quality Control) Order, 2023.

Key points:
i.To support domestic micro and small industries, the government has provided a relaxations in terms of the timeline for the implementing the QCO.

for Small Enterprises, this QCO shall come into force with effect from 9 months from the date of publication of this notification.
For Micro Enterprises, this QCO shall come into force with effect from 12 months from the date of publication of this notification.
This aims to safeguard their interests while ensuring smooth transition and fostering a business-friendly environment.

About Ministry of Commerce & Industry:
Union Minister- Piyush Goyal
Minister of State- Anupriya Singh Patel; Som Parkash

ONGC India’s first CPSE to get certified for Anti-Bribery Management System by InterCert USA
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the largest crude oil and natural gas Maharatna Company in India, has become the first Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) in India to get certified for Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) by M/s InterCert USA, an international accredited certification body in the United States of America (USA).

Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ONGC, received the ABMS Certificate in an award ceremony.

Note:
ONGC was the first organization in India that adopted the Integrity Pact (IP) by Transparency International (Anti-Corruption) in 2005.
The ABMS Certification is one of the significant achievements for ONGC’s efforts towards strengthening its ability as a trusted business partner.
Key People:
Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) and key representatives from ONGC along with a representative from the Certification Body M/s InterCert were present during the award ceremony.
Implementation of ABMS:
After complete assessment and validation by M/s InterCert USA, ABMS has been implemented as per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 37001:2016 International Standard under the guidance of an international consultancy firm M/s Digital Age, in the first phase across 10 departments of ONGC’s Corporate Office in Delhi.
Anti-Bribery Management System:
i. ISO 37001:2016, an international Standard on the domain of ABMS, specifies requirements and provides guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, reviewing and improving an anti-bribery management system.
ii. It allows organizations to prevent, detect and address bribery by adopting an Anti-bribery policy.

Manoj Ahuja Launched BHARAT Campaign for Mobilization of Funds Through Banks
On 12th July 2023, Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare(MoA&FW), virtually launched a new campaign for banks under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) titled BHARAT (Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural & Agriculture Transformation) to mobilize funds from banks
The 1 month long campaign, which will run from 15th July 2023 to 15th August 2023, was launched with a target of Rs 7200 crore.
Key People:
The video conference was attended by banking executives of commercial Banks in the public and private sector, Regional Rural Banks(RRBs), Small Finance Banks(SFB), Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) and select cooperative Banks.
Key Points:
i.The banks support to this scheme has created 31, 850 agriculture infrastructure projects with Rs 24750 crores as loan under AIF with an outlay of Rs 42,000 crores.
ii.Some of the top-performing Banks in the scheme include State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB), HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank, Madhyanchal Gramin Bank and Punjab Gramin Bank (PGB).
MoA&FW asks banks to promote Rs 1 Lakh Crore AIF
On 13th July 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture called upon the banks to promote Rs 1 lakh crore AIF for creation of necessary infrastructure in the farm sector.

Under this scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore is to be disbursed by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33.

About Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF):
It is a financing facility launched on 8th July 2020, for creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets.
The scheme disburses Rs 1 lakh crore by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33.

India’s 1st AI News Anchor introduced by OTV in Odisha
On 9th July, 2023, Odisha Television Limited (OTV), an Odia based broadcast and digital media company in Odisha, introduced India’s and Odisha’s first regional multi-lingual Artificial Intelligence (AI) news anchor named “Lisa” in a ceremony held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The introduction of AI Lisa, is an initiative driven by the visionary team of OTV.

Lisa is the first AI anchor in the free-to-air regional television broadcasting platform and also the first Odia news anchor with an ability to speak multiple languages including Odia, English and others.
Its development involved a large language model (LLM), learning algorithms and voice recognition capabilities to create an anchor that could simulate human-like interactions

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Tanzania officially for 4-daysDr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister (EAM) went on a four-day official visit to United Republic of Tanzania from 5-8 July 2023.
EAM’s visit to Tanzania will further integrate the bilateral relations between the two nations.
Overview of EAM’s Visits:
i. On the 4 day visit, Jaishankar first visited a water supply project funded by line of credit from the Government of India in Zanzibar, an island of Tanzania from 5th to 6th July 2023.
ii. He also attended a reception of Indian Naval Ship (INS) Trishul.
iii. He co-chaired the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart and looked to Tanzania’s top leadership, including several Cabinet rank Ministers from 7-8th July 2023 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
iv. He also met with the members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for India and inaugurated an India-Tanzania business meeting.
v. Then he addressed the Indian diaspora and inaugurated the statue of Swami Vivekananda in Dar es Salaam.
India-Tanzania tie-ups:
i. India and Tanzania have close and friendly relations. EAM’s visit to Tanzania will further integrate the bilateral relations between the two nations.

UN Report: Global public debt hit record USD 92 trillion in 2022
On 12th July 2023, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general (UNSG) launched “A world of debt. A growing burden to global prosperity”, a new report from the UN global crisis response group and as per the report nearly 40% of the developing countries in the World is in serious debt, as public debt reached a record USD 92 trillion in 2022, which is five-fold since 2000.

According to the report the Governments borrowed to country crises on development include the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and climate change.
Some 3.3 billion people, almost half of humanity living in countries that spend more on debt interest payments than on education or health.
The report was jointly prepared by the UN Global Crisis Response Group, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the five United Nations Regional Economic Commissions.

Developing Countries and Debt Burden:
i. Domestic and external debt worldwide has increased more than five times in the last two decades, outstripping the rate of economic growth, with gross domestic product (GDP), which tripled at the same time since 2002.
ii. Developing countries owe almost 30% of the total, of which roughly 70% is attributable to China, India and Brazil.
iii. 59 developing countries are struggling a debt-to-GDP ratio above 60% – a threshold indicating high levels of debt.Developing countries’ total public debt increased from 35% of GDP in 2010 to 60% in 2021. Similarly, external public debt, the part of a government’s debt owed to foreign creditors, increased from 19% of GDP to 29% of GDP in 2021.
iv. The report also added that debt has been translating into a substantial burden for developing countries due to limited access to financing, rising borrowing costs, currency devaluations and sluggish growth.
v. The net interest debt payments exceeding 10% of revenues for 50 emerging economies worldwide.
vi. Private creditors, such as bondholders and banks, represent 62% of developing countries’ total external public debt.
vii. African countries on average, pay 4 times more for borrowing than the United States of America (USA) and 8 times more than the wealthiest European countries.
Controlling measures:
i. As per UN, multilateral lenders should expand their financing, with measures such as a temporary suspension of International Monetary Fund (IMF) surcharges, commissions charged to borrowers using its credit lines extensively and increased financing access for countries in debt distress.
ii. A debt workout mechanism is also needed to address the slow progress of the G20 Common Framework.

The debt treatment framework was adopted by the Group of 20 major economies and official creditors in October 2020, and aims to include non-Paris club members such as China in debt relief.

Razorpay India launches first International payment gateway through Curlec in Malaysia
On 12 July 2023, Razorpay, a prominent Indian Full-Stack Payments and Business Banking Platform, unveiled its first international Payment Gateway in Malaysia, in collaboration with Curlec, under the brand ‘Curlec By Razorpay’ with the aims to bridge the gap between local and international payment gateways.
Key Points:

Payment Gateway intends to cater to over 5,000 businesses, with a target of achieving an annualised Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Malaysian Ringgit 10 billion (USD 2.1 billion) by 2025.
Razorpay bought the Malaysian startup Curlec in a USD($)20 Million deal in February, 2022.

Additional Info:

Collaboration was driven by a shared vision to develop products that cater to the needs of the South East Asian(SEA) region.
Razorpay is eager to capitalise on Malaysia’s growing digital economy, as digital trade contributed 22.6% to the country’s total Gross Domestic product (GDP) in 2021, with an expected rise to 25.5% by 2025.
In May 2023, Razorpay launched ‘Turbo UPI’ – a one-step payment solution for the UPI network.
In the last week of April 2023, it joined India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform to streamline payment processes.
Razorpay has roped in former RBI deputy governor NS Vishwanathan as the chairperson of the new advisory board in April 2023..

About Razorpay India:
Founder & Managing Director(MD)- Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar
Headquarters – Bangalore, Karnataka
Established in – 2014

Max Life Insurance partnered with DCB Bank to offer insurance products
Max Life Insurance Company Ltd partnered with DCB Bank Ltd to offer different types of life insurance products to the DCB bank customers including Term, Savings and Retirement Plans to secure their financial future and increase their investment portfolio.

The partnership aims to empower DCB Bank’s customers by providing them with innovative and flexible life insurance products that cater to their needs.
Under this partnership, DCB Bank customers will get access to Max Life’s protection and long-term savings products, providing financial stability for themselves and their family.

Note: DCB Bank is a new-generation private sector bank with 427 branches (as on 31st March 2023) across India.

Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Sabah Elected as the New President of Olympic Council of AsiaOn 8th July 2023, Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Sabah of Kuwait was elected as the new president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) from 2023-2027 by the 42nd OCA General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand.

Sheikh Talal joined the OCA in 2007 and was a member of the executive board, replaces his elder brother, Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, who was suspended from Olympic involvement in 2021.
Sheikh Talal beat Dr.Husain Al-Musallam ,a Director General of OCA and also the President of World Aquatics.
Sheikh Talal is the son of Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who founded OCA in 1982 and served as its president until 1990.

Additional info:
Former Secretary General of the OCA, H.E.Raja Randhir Singh of India, had led the OCA as Acting President since 2021 until the election.
About Olympic Council of Asia (OCA):
OCA is an independent non-governmental not-for-profit international Asian sport organization currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Founded in – 1982.
Headquarters – Kuwait.

Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates ‘Sagar Sampark’ to Boost the Digitalisation in the Maritime SectorOn 12th July 2023, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) “Sagar Sampark” in New Delhi, Delhi, to boost the digitalisation in the maritime sector.

The indigenously developed DGNSS is a terrestrial based enhancement system that corrects the errors and inaccuracies in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and provides more accurate positioning information in Indian waters and beyond.

Key people:
The launch ceremony took place in the presence of Shripad Y. Naik(Minister of State), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), TK Ramachandran, Indian Administrative Service(IAS) Secretary, MoPSW and officials from the ministry and the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships(DGLL).
Use of DGNSS:
i.The launch of ‘Sagar Sampark’-DGNSS, at 6 locations under DGLL, will enhance the capability of the DGLL in the field of radio aids to marine navigation.
ii.DGNSS helps mariners in safe navigation and reduces the risk of collisions, groundings, and accidents in the port and harbour areas and this will lead to the safe and efficient movement of vessels.
iii.It fulfils international obligations of International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA).
iv.The DGNSS system will transmit corrections of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) and reduces errors caused by atmospheric inferences, satellite clock drift.
v.The error correction accuracy has been improved from 5 to 10 meters to less than 5 meters for 100 Nautical Miles (NM) from Indian coastline.

China Successfully Launches World’s First Methane-Powered Rocket to Space
On July 12 2023, LandSpace, a Chinese private aerospace company became the first aerospace company to launch a two-stage rocket ‘ZhuQue-2 Y-2’ using liquid methane as fuel and liquid oxygen (LOx) as oxidizer. The rocket was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, China.

A test payload was deposited into the Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
The launch was the second attempt for the Zhuque-2 Y-2 rocket, following a failed initial launch of Zhuque-2 Y-1 in December, 2022.

Methane engines:
i. The exceptional performance and cost-effectiveness of methane engines have potential to produce methane by combining water and carbon dioxide in space.
ii. The technology holds great promise for reusable rockets, positioning it at the forefront of the new era of rocketry
Note: In April 2023, Beijing Tianbing Technology Co (Tianlong-2) from China became the world’s first private company to reach orbit on its inaugural attempt.
Across the globe, researchers and engineers are actively involved in the research and development of various types of reusable rockets powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
In the United States of America: Terran 1 from Relativity Space in March 2023 and SpaceX’s Starship in April 2023 failed with the use of methane-powered engines.
In India: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is currently engaged in the development of two engines referred to as “LOx methane” engines at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Trivandrum, kerala.
i. The first project is dedicated to the conversion of the existing cryogenic engine, which presently relies on liquid hydrogen as fuel, into a LOx methane engine.
ii. The second project aims to create a smaller engine, equipped with an electric motor, capable of producing a thrust capacity of three tonnes.
About People’s Republic of China:
President – Xi Jinping
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Chinese Yuan (Renminbi-RMB)

Sri Lanka won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 qualifier defeating Netherlands
Sri Lanka won the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2023 Qualifier tournament by defeating Netherlands by 128 runs in the finals held on 9th July 2023 in Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
The CWC 2023 Qualifier, the 12th edition of CWC, was held from June 18 to July 9 2023 in Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Sri Lanka won all the 8 matches they played in the tournament and became the first team from the ICC World Cup 2023 Qualifiers to qualify for the main draw of the World Cup 2023 to be held in India from October 5 to November 19 2023.
Sri Lanka have qualified for the main draw of the World Cup 2023 as Qualifier 2, while the Netherlands will go into the World Cup as Qualifier 1.
This was SL’s 10th consecutive One Day International (ODI) win and Dilshan Madhushanka (SL) won the player of the match award.

Nikki McCray-Penson, Basketball Star and Olympic Gold Medalist, Passed Away at Age 51
Nikki McCray-Penson, a former basketball star and current Rutgers assistant coach has passed away at age 51. She hails from Tennessee, United States of America(USA).

McCray-Penson won two Olympic gold medals for the USA – first in Atlanta in 1996 and then in Sydney in 2000.
McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

McCray-Penson career:
i.McCray-Penson played in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) for Washington, Indiana, Phoenix, San Antonio and Chicago where she was a three-time All-Star.
ii.McCray-Penson went on to play two seasons in the American Basketball League, from 1998-2006 earning MVP(Most Valuable Player) honors and winning the League championship with the Columbus Quest in 1997 and scored 2,550 career points.
McCray-Penson career as coach:
i.McCray-Penson also had a legendary 15-year career as a basketball coach.
ii.She won a national title in 2017 as an assistant coach under Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina, the first title for the women’s basketball program.
iii.She later served as the head coach at Old Dominion and then Mississippi State University.

Kerala Governor Released Malayalam Translation Of ‘Krishna – The 7th Sense’ by Debashis Chatterjee
On 8th July 2023, Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala, released the book “Krishnan Oru Ezhamindriyam”, the Malayalam translation of ‘Krishna – the 7th Sense’ authored by Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director of Institutes of Management (IIM)-Kozhikode(Kerala), during the event held at IIM, Kozhikode, Kerala.
The book was translated from English to Malayalan by V Madhusoodan.

‘Krishna – the 7th Sense is Debashis Chatterjee’s debut novel in fiction and a spiritual work on love and living published in 2022.
The Governor also disclosed the latest edition of Debashis Chatterjee’s work Karma Sutras – Leadership and Wisdom in Uncertain Times, the lead book of the IIMK (Kozhikode)-Penguin Series for New Managers.

Mobile-Dost-App launched in J&K for Citizen Centric ServicesOn July 11, 2023, The ‘Mobile Dost App’ was launched in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by Chief Secretary of J&K, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, in line with the Apka Mobile Hamara Daftar vision. This app, developed by the IT (Information Technology) department of J&K with support from the Government of Haryana, brings digital transformation and improved accessibility to J&K residents.

The launch also saw virtual participation from Uma Shankar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Haryana, among others.

About Mobile Dost App:
It aims at empowering people of J&K by providing a comprehensive platform to access all the Government to citizen Services (G2C) directly from their mobile devices.

It offers over 450 government-to-citizen services, including certificates, licenses, grievance registration, and welfare scheme access.
The app also provides emergency helpline connections, government tender information, bill payment, travel details, job applications, news updates, event information, and important contacts.

Gujarat launches revamped PMJAY-MA scheme with Rs 10 lakh health cover
On 11th July 2023, Government of Gujarat launched the revamped Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Mukhyamantri Amrutam (PMJAY-MA) scheme, under which people can avail free medical treatment up to Rs 10 lakh, a twofold rise from the previous limit of Rs 5 lakh.

The revamped scheme was officially launched by Rushikesh Patel, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Gujarat in the presence of Gujarat Health Department officials.

Background:
During the State Budget presented in February 2023, Kanubhai Desai, Minister of Finance of Gujarat, announced the doubling of insurance cover under PMJAY-MA scheme from Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh.
Key Points:
i.The New revamped PMJAY-MA Scheme benefits around 1.78 crore Ayushman Bharat cardholders in Gujarat to afford high cost medical facilities.
ii.Under the PMJAY-MA, 2027 state-run hospitals, 803 private hospitals, and 18 Central government facilities in the state are permitted to offer treatment or perform operations, and 2471 types of treatments and surgeries are available to card users in these hospitals.
Note:
PMJAY is popularly known as Ayushman Bharat, MA stands for the state government’s Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) scheme, which was merged with the central health scheme.
About MA Yojana:
i.The Mukhyamantri Amrutum Yojana, launched on 4th September 2012, is a tertiary care scheme for Below Poverty Line (BPL) population of Gujarat.
ii.The scheme was initially launched with an insurance cover of Rs 2 lakhs.
About Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY):
i.PMJAY, the world’s largest health assurance scheme, aims to provide poor and vulnerable families with a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

It was launched by Prime minister(PM) Narendra Modi on 23rd September 2018 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

ii.Ayushman Bharat has two components,Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister- Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary, Rampara Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha Cabinet approved ‘Ama Odisha, Naveen Odisha’ scheme to augment rural infrastructure and preserve Jagannath cultureOn 10th July 2023, the Odisha Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister(CM) Naveen Patnaik approved ‘Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha’ scheme to take measures to enhance rural infrastructure, leading to accelerated growth and to promote, preserve and protect the Jagannath culture and tradition of Odisha.
The cabinet has also approved around 9 proposals related to 6 different departments, including the Department of Energy, Home, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Revenue and Disaster Management, Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) Development, and the Department of Works.
Under the scheme, a budget provision of Rs 4000 crore will be allocated, and it will cover all Gram Panchayats (GP) with an entitlement of Rs 50 lakh.
The Odisha Cabinet also approved the inclusion of Kui language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India to include several benefits to the Kandh tribes of Odisha.
On 10th July 2023, 119th State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) of the Government of Odisa chaired by Pradeep Jena, Chief Secretary of Odisha, approved 11 industrial projects worth around Rs 3266 crore.
About Odisha:
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik
Governor- Ganeshi Lal
Festivals: Raja Parba, Rath Yatra