1. Prasar Bharati introduce 2 awards in honor of Neelum Sharma

• India’s largest public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharti’s Chairman A Suryaprakash. The agency introduces 2 awards namely ‘Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award’ & ‘Achyutananda Sahoo Award’.
• The award memory of  Doordarshan(DD) News (Former anchor), Neelum Sharma.
• She is a strong advocate for women empowerment. She started her career in Doordarshan in 1995. She associated with the channel for over 20 years.She was known for her programmes like ‘Tejaswini’(Through this show, she focused on women achievers of India) and ‘Badi Charcha’.She was awarded the 2018 ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’(Highest civilian award for women in India) by the President of India Ram Nath Govind.

Foot Notes:
About Prasar Bharati

2. DRDO delivered the new Mobile Metallic Ramp to Army

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) delivered the design of the newly innovated Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army at a ceremony held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The design of MMR was handed over by Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, Dr. G Satheesh Reddy to Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), Lt Gen Devraj Anbu.
• The MMR will reduce the Strategic Mobility time of mobilizing Armoured Fighting Vehicles. The requirement was projected by the Indian Army. The new MMR will provide the strategic mobility for Armoured and Mechanized units and formations of the Army. It will drastically reduce the time required for operational mobilization.

Foot Notes:
About DRDO

3. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina & Tennis Legend Sania Mirza will co-chair WEF’s India Economic Summit 2019 to be held in New Delhi

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will organize 2-day India Economic Summit 2019 scheduled to be held in New Delhi from October 3 – 4, 2019 with the aim of promoting strong collaboration between South Asia and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) nations.
• The theme of the event will be ‘Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World’.
• Sheikh Hasina (Prime Minister of Bangladesh), Sania Mirza (Sportsperson and UN –United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia), Heng Swee Keat (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore), Shobana Kamineni (Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise), and Shailendra Singh (Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India) will be the co-chairs for the Summit.

Foot Notes:
About WEF

4. World Senior Citizen Day observed on August 21, 2019

• The day is recognized to create awareness of the condition of elder people and support them through senescence.This day is observed to thank and acknowledge elders for all that they have done for their children. They sacrifice their entire life in nurturing their relationships.
• The day was first announced on 14th of December in the year 1990, by the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) & it was celebrated for the first time on October 1, 1991.The day originates from the time of 1988. It was formally settled by the former president of the United States of America i.e. Ronald Reagan. He had marked the 5847 declarations on August 19, 1988, which showed August 21 as the National Senior Citizens Day.
• As per the 2017 census, 47 million senior citizens from India live in the United States of America. Several programs are held throughout the world where elders’ life studies, personal experiences are shared and solutions are offered to fight the factors that affect their well-being.

5. Chief minister of Punjab launched "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana"

• The chief minister of Punjab has launched a universal health insurance scheme "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana " benefiting nearly 46 lakh families. With this scheme, covering 76% of the state’s population.
• Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people. The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.

Foot Notes:

6. Sreesanth's Life Ban on cricket reduced to 7 Years

• Former India paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth’s life ban has been reduced to 7 years. This order was passed by BCCI Ombudsman, Justice (Retd.) DK Jain. The Ban will end in 2020.
• The BCCI banned Sreesanth for life in September 2013, along with his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, for indulging in alleged spot-fixing in the IPL.

7. 2nd Uday Express to run between Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada

• Indian Railway's 2nd double-decker Uday (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The train would consist of 9 double-decker coaches and 2 power cars.
• The trains are primarily allocated to routes with heavy passenger traffic. They are equipped with WiFi facility, have striking interiors, cushioned seating, and display screens.

Foot Notes:

1. Union Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal.

8. President of India launches tree plantation drive at Rashtrapati Bhavan

• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind planted a sapling of Maulsari in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate. They launched a plantation drive as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations. The President met students and urged them to encourage fellow citizens to plant more trees and reaffirm our commitment to a greener and sustainable planet.
• As part of Van Mahotsav celebrations, the President's Secretariat, over the next few weeks, will be planting 3,252 trees and 2,962 shrubs in the President's Estate. They include ornamental and fruit trees like Peepal, Neem, Maulsari, Champa, Gul Mohur, Mango, Chiko, Anjir and Amrud.
• President’s Estate spread over 330 acres harbours a rich biodiversity. Noted trees of the Estate include, Sita Ashok, Bistendu, Shisham, Gab, Gourd Trees, Wild Almond, Lemon-Scented Gum, Doon Siris.

Foot Notes:
Van Mahotsav History

1. It is generally celebrated in the first week of July or from 1st of July till the 7th of July. 7th of July is the ending of the first week.

9. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Babulal Gaur passes away

• Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Babulal Gaur passed away. He served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005 and represented Govindpura Assembly seat for 10 times.

10. SMVDU, NISE sign MoU to achieve national solar mission

• Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Jammu and National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work jointly to achieve the objective of National Solar Mission through training programmes. The MoU, which will be valid till 5 years.
• International Solar Alliance is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries.

Foot Notes:
1. Headquarters of International Solar Alliance‎: ‎Gurugram, Haryana.