1. India’s first National Time Release Study conducted from August 1-7, 2019

• The Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance conducted India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS) from August 1-7, 2019. It will be conducted on an annual basis, during the same period every year hereafter. It is lead by the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs (CBIC).
• It is an internationally recognized tool advocated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows. The WCO TRS is specifically referenced in Article 7.6 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) as a tool for Members to measure and publish the average release time of goods.
• Objective: To identify and address bottlenecks in the trade flow process and take the corresponding policy and operational measures required to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures.

Foot Notes:
About Ministry of Finance:

1. Founded: 29 October 1946
2. Minister In-Charge: Nirmala Sitharaman

About WCO:

1. Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
2. Formed: January 26, 1952

2. Rajya Sabha passes Consumer Protection Bill

• The Rajya Sabha has passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019. The bill will lead to setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class.
• The Bill seeks to strengthen the rights of consumers and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding defects in goods and deficiency in services.
• The bill will replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

Foot Notes:

• Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution: Ram Vilas Paswan.

3. India's Naaz Joshi won Miss World Diversity 2019

• Naaz Joshi made the country proud with a third successive victory in the beauty pageant Miss World Diversity.  She competed against 14 other international co     ntestants in Mauritius.
• She dressed up in blue lehenga and choli and portrayed herself as the powerful Indian Goddess, who stands for 'shakti' - the feminine source of power and women empowerment.
• She is a resident of Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. She was sent to her relative's house in Mumbai.

Foot Notes:
About Mauritius

1. Capital: Port Louis
2. Currency: Mauritian rupee
3. Prime minister: Pravind Jugnauth

4. RBI to set up "Central Payment Fraud Registry"

• The Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up a "Central Payment Fraud Registry". The registry will track frauds in the payment systems.
• Under this registry, payment system participants will be provided access to it for near-real time fraud monitoring. The aggregated fraud data will be published to educate customers on emerging risks.
• Currently, banks report all banking frauds to the Central Fraud Monitoring Cell of the Reserve Bank of India.

Foot Notes:
About RBI

1. Governor: Shaktikanta Das
2. Headquarters: Mumbai
3. Founder: British Raj
4. Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata

5. 5th edition of 'IASMC' kicks off in Jaisalmer

• The 5th edition of International Army Scout Masters Competition with teams from 8 countries including India, China and Russia as participants was inaugurated at the Jaisalmer Military Station under the aegis of the Southern Command.
• Lt Gen DS Ahuja, Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Southern Command, and Deputy Defence Minister of Russia Yunus Bek Evkurov unveiled the trophy of the competition and unfolded the event's flag at the inaugural ceremony. Army Scout Master Teams from Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Sudan, Uzbekistan and India are participating in the 9-day event from August 6 to 14.

Foot Notes:

1. Chief of Indian Army: General Bipin Rawat.

6. 7th August: National Handloom Day

• Objective: to honour and revive the roots of handlooms and thus provide work to weavers and to spread awareness about the importance of the handloom industry to the socio economic development of the country.
• Handloom Mela and exhibition, workshops, panel discussion were organised and special stalls were put up for handloom products at Gandhinagar and Kolkata NIFT campuses.
• On 7 August, 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Handloom Day at Madras University in Chennai.

7. Bangladesh signs uranium supply deal with Russia

• Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia for the supply of uranium for its 2400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).
• The deal was signed in Dhaka between the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Russian Nuclear Fuel Supply Company (TVEL).
• Under this deal, Russia will supply the nuclear fuel needed for the plant during its entire life cycle.

Foot Notes:
About Russia

1. President: Vladimir Putin
2. Capital: Moscow.
3. Currency: Russian ruble.

8. IIT-Guwahati develops hand-held device to detect bacteria

• A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has developed a portable device to detect bacteria without cell culture or microbiological assays.
• The hand-held device, with the bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis.
• This research has enabled rapid detection of bacteria, which is not just important in healthcare, but also in anti- bioterrorism measures and environmental monitoring.

9. Former T.N. Minister Jennifer Chandran passes away

• Former Fisheries Minister S. Jennifer Chandran passed away. She won from the Tiruchendur Assembly constituency in 1996 and served as a Minister in the DMK government from 1996-2001.

10. Former Padma Shri award winner Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy passes away

• Former Padma Shri award winner and educationist Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy passed away. She received the Padma Shri award in 2010 for her contribution to the field of education. She was the founder of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB) Group of Schools.