1. Air Force specification-cum-publicity Pavilion inaugurated by Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”

• The Union Minister for Human Resource Development (MHRD) Mr Ramesh pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, inaugurated the Indian Airforce Facilitation-cum-Publicity Pavilion in National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi.

Facilitation-cum-Publicity Pavilion
i. The setup comprises of a flying simulator, a self-interactive career information kiosk( a counter, newsstand etc), a selfie point in G suite( cloud computing, collaboration and productivity tool) and  mannequins.
ii. The pavilion has running videos related to IAF exercise/ operations, aircraft models of Indian Air Force, digital flexes etc.
Mobile gaming app launched
“Indian Air Force: Cut Above” official Mobile gaming application was launched by Air Chief Marshal Shri B.S. Dhanoa. The app features facilities like experiencing first hand roles of IAF air warrior and also to apply and appear for recruitment from mobile phone itself.

2. Clean air initiative launched by India,UK in Bengaluru
A two year UK-India joint initiative , the “Innovation  for Clean Air” (IfCA) was launched by the British Deputy High Commissioner Dominic McAllister in Bengaluru to test interventions related to equality and supportIndia’s transition to EV (electric vehicles) integration.
Foot points

•  The air quality is measured by integrating satellite and sensor data
•  The program is led by Innovate UK, which is a part of UK research and innovation (UKRI). The UKRI is funded by Newton Fund and by various other partner

3. India is the 46th highest risk country in the world: Water Stress Index
According to the Water Stress Index, formulated by London-based risk analytics firm Verisk Maplecroft, India is the 46th highest risk country in the world. It measured the water consumption rates of households, industries and farm sectors and the available resources in rivers, lakes and streams and plotted the index with projected population growth trends to rank the cities facing the biggest threat to their water resources. Chennai is the “tip of the iceberg” for India’s water stressed cities.
Foot points

• 11 out of India’s 20 largest cities face an ‘extreme risk’ of water stress and 7 are in the ‘high risk’ category. Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Indore are among the cities facing ‘extreme risk’.
• Bengaluru and Surat are experiencing the greatest surge in demand for water and are most at risk of facing scarcity. Chennai and Delhi are also extremely vulnerable.

4. Pilot basis of one Nation one ration card scheme launched in 4 States
In order to boost the National Food Security, pilot basis of One Nation One Ration Card scheme was launched by the government in four states namely Telangana , Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Families holding this card can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these four states.
Foot points

• This program is expected to be implemented by August next year.
• A trial run of the project was conducted by the Telangana Civil Supplies Corporation last week where consumers from Andhra Pradesh bought their commodities from the fair price shop in Hyderabad.
• White ration card holders in Telangana can buy the subsidized rice and wheat from any fair price shops in the state and this same facility is available in Andhra Pradesh also through POS (Point Of Sale) machines.

5. India Post Payments Bank will be converted into SFB: postal Department
The postal department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank(IPPB) into a small finance bank(SFB) with the aim to provide micro-credit at the doorsteps to individuals and SME’s(Small and medium-sized enterprises).
The postal department also sets a target to open one crore accounts for IPPB in 100 days.

Foot points
The decision was taken during the annual Heads of Circles Conference held at Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) to adopt a 100-day action plan and a five-year vision to align the Department of Posts with the Prime Minister’s New India initiative.
About IPPB:

1. Founded: 1 September 2018
2. Headquarters :New Delhi , India
3. Parent organization: India Post
4. MD & CEO: Suresh Sethi

6. R N Ravi took charge as 20th  governor of Nagaland
On August 1, 2019, RN Ravi(A 1976-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre,), a former Intelligence Bureau(IB) officer was sworn in as the 20th governor of Nagaland.

Foot points

• Ravi, who is the interlocutor for the central government for the Centre-Naga peace talks.
• He played a key role in the signing of the Framework Agreement between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim Isak-Muivah(NSCN-IM).
• Ravi was appointed as Nagaland Governor by President Ram Nath Kovind on July 20, 2019.
• He was worked closely with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during the Doval’s stint in the Intelligence Bureau(IB).

About Nagaland:

1. Capital: Kohima
2. Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio
3. National Park: Intanki National Park
4. Wildlife Sanctuaries: Fakim WLS, Puliebadze WLS, Rangapahar WLS.

7. Guruprasad Mohapatra takes charge as secretary of DPIIT
Guruprasad Mohapatra(an IAS Officer of 1986 batch) assumed charge of the office of Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in New Delhi. He served as chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), a statutory body working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, where he brought many changes in AAI’s strategic operations.

Foot points

• He also served as a joint secretary in the Department of Commerce, where he worked for the promotion of special economic zones (SEZs), public procurement and project exports (financing and insurance).
• As a municipal commissioner in Surat, Gujarat, he was involved in the process of converting Surat into one of the models of urban governance with its impetus on solid waste management, quality infrastructure, and financial management.
• He also served as managing director(MD) in several listed public sector undertakings(PSU) in India and held a position as the transport commissioner and commissioner (commercial taxes) in Gujarat.

About DPIIT:

1. Formation: 1995
2. Parent agency: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
3. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) was renamed as the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in January  2019.
4. It is responsible for the formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives.

8. Microsoft acquired BlueTalon, a data privacy & governance startup

• Microsoft acquired BlueTalon, a data privacy and governance service, for an undisclosed sum. BlueTalon works with leading Fortune 100 companies. It helps enterprises to set policies for how their employees can access their data.

Foot points

• It will become part of the Azure Data Governance group.
• It had raised $25.87 million and was backed by firms like Biosys Capital, Signia Venture Partners, Maverick Capital, and Divergent Ventures.

About Microsoft:

1. Headquarters: Washington DC, US
2. CEO: Satya Narayana Nadella
3. Chairman: John Wendell Thompson

9. PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal retained their top 10 place in the latest Women’s singles rankings in badminton

• In the recently released women’s singles ranking by Badminton World Federation, India’s star players PVSindhu and Saina Nehwal have retained 5th spot and 8th spot respectively. The ranking is topped by Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.

Foot points

• Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying was overtaken by Akane Yamaguchi to become the new world no.1 champion.
• Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara is ranked second and Tai Tzu Ying is ranked third in the BWF rankings.
• In BWF men’s ranking japan’s Kento Momota is ranked first whereas India’s Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma are ranked 10th and 13th respectively

About

1. It is the International governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee
2. Headquarters- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3. Founded- 5 July 1934
4. President- Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen

10. Indian coffee tycoon, V. G. Siddhartha Hegde found Dead
Indian billionaire and a founder of the largest coffee chain in India, Cafe Coffee Day(CCD), V. G. Siddhartha Hegde has been found dead on the banks of the Netravati river near Mangaluru.V. G. Siddhartha Hegdei. Siddhartha was the son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna.

Foot points

• He is from the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, established Cafe Coffee Day in 1996, which is an Indian café chain owned by Coffee Day Global Limited serves 1.8 billion cups of coffee, annually, in six countries like Malaysia, Egypt, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
• He was in talks with Coca-Cola about selling a large stake in Cafe Coffee Day. The business had come under pressure and in 2017. As on March 31, 2019, the borrowings of Coffee Day Enterprises stood at Rs 6,547.38 crore.

About CCD:

1. Founded: 1993
2. Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka