• Kambhampati Hari Babu has been sworn in as the 22nd Governor of Mizoram at Raj Bhavan in Aizawl.
• He has been administered the oath of office by Gawahati High Court Judge, Justice Michael Zothankhuma.
• He succeeded P.S Sreedharan Pillai, who was appointed as the Governor of Goa.
• Gawahati High Court has jurisdiction over the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram.

• The Science Exploration Day (also called Moon Day) is marked every year on 20 July.
• It was on this day in 1969 that Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon’s surface.
• Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon’s surface.
• The Armstrong- Aldrin duo spent 21.5 hours on the surface of the moon out of which they spent 2.5 hours outside of their capsules.
• To commemorate their achievement, the day was declared a holiday in 1984 by the then President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

• According to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Saudi Arabia, women can now register for the annual Hajj pilgrimage without a male guardian (marham). In registration guidelines of Hajj for domestic pilgrims, the ministry highlights, women do not need to require a male guardian to register and could do registration along with other women. Women wishing to perform Hajj will have to register individually.
• India had announced the same rule in 2017 when the Modi government declared that women could go on Hajj without a male companion. Muslim women were exempted from mahram and also from the lottery system.

• The Ministry of Law and Justice has informed that the name of the ‘Common High Court of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and UT of Ladakh’ has officially been changed to ‘High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh’.
• To bring this change, President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2021.
• The decision for renaming has been taken because the present nomenclature was rather long-winding and cumbersome. On the other hand, the new nomenclature is quite convenient as well as in consonance with the name pattern followed in other common HCs.

• India has emerged as the World’s 5th-largest foreign exchange reserves holder after China, Japan, Switzerland and Russia.
• India’s forex reserves stood at around 609 billion Dollars on 25th June, 2021 and is comfortable in terms of import cover of more than 18 months and provides cushion against unforeseen external shocks.
• In 2020-21, India’s balance of payments recorded surplus in both current account and capital account.

• Govt has launched Bad Bank with all the regulatory approvals in place for stressed assets as a measure to clean up bank books.
• It was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget Speech 2021-22.
• RBI is the regulator of Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs).
• RBI has already prescribed a regulatory framework for the functioning of ARCs and there are well-laid norms for transfer of stressed assets by banks and non-banking finance companies to ARCs.

• Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been chosen to receive the Olympic Laurel at the upcoming Tokyo Games on 23 July 2021, becoming the second recipient of the award.
• Professor Yunus will be awarded the prize for “his extensive work in sport for development, including founding the Yunus Sports Hub, a global social business network”.
• The Olympic Laurel award was created in 2016 to recognise endeavours in culture, education, peace and development through sport and will be awarded at the Opening Ceremony of each Summer Games.
• It was given for the first time at the 2016 Rio Games to Kenyan former Olympian Kip Keino.
• Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist, and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance.

• Two communities from India namely Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited and Snehakunja Trust, have won the prestigious UNDP Equator Prize for 2021. It is the 12th edition of the award.
• They are among the 10 awardees from around the world who have been presented the biennial Equator Prize for 2021, for their work in the field of conservation and biodiversity.
• The UN Development Programme (UNDP) gives the Equator Prize to recognize community efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
• The two Indian organisations have won for their exceptional achievement in showcasing local, innovative, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change and achieving their local development goals.
• The winners received a prize of US$10,000.

• Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan has come up with a book titled as ‘The India Story’, which will be released on 21st July, 2021.
• The book focuses on India’s economic history and aims to provide lessons for the future of India’s political economy.
• The India Story is published by Rupa Publications India.
• He has previously written three books namely ‘India Then and Now’ (2020), ‘India Ahead’ (2018) and ‘Politics Trumps Economics’ (2012).

• Government has launched National Logistics Excellence Awards to turn the spotlight on the logistics sector.
• The awards are in two categories: logistics infrastructure/service providers and user industries.
• This award will highlight best practices including consolidation, process standardisation, technological upgrade, digital transformations, and sustainable practices.
• Indian logistics sector has been growing at a CAGR of 10.5%, with USD 215 billion in value in 2020.

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