1. Saving Chenkurinji from climate change
Tags: Popular National News
Chenkurinji (Gluta travancorica) is a species endemic to the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Its numbers are continuously decreasing due to climate change.
About Chenkurinji tree
It belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.
This tree was once found in abundance in the hills of the southern parts of Aryankavu Pass, Kollam district (Kerala), but over the years its presence is rapidly decreasing from this area.
It is susceptible to climate change and the current status of these species is poor due to low regeneration.
There are sufficient numbers of these trees but most of them are not productive, thereby creating a negative trend in its population.
Flowering and fruiting rates are very poor in most trees.
Medicinal properties of the tree
It has medicinal properties and is used to lower blood pressure and treat arthritis.
The forest department has launched a 'Save Chenkurinji' campaign.
2. Hardeep S Puri chairs the meeting with stakeholders on Green Hydrogen
Tags: National News
The union ministry of petroleum and natural gas on 4 July held consultations with stakeholders on developing the green hydrogen ecosystem in India.
The meeting was chaired by the union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri.
It was attended by the minister of state for petroleum Rameswar Teli, seniors officials from the ministry and oil & gas PSUs, and other stakeholders.
Puri said that when green hydrogen is promoted, the challenges faced by the fossil fuel industry can be overcome.
He said that this will accelerate India's journey towards energy independence by 2047.
Government is spending ₹12 lakh crores to import energy.
Due to India's favourable geographical conditions and presence of abundant natural elements, green hydrogen production has great potential.
Oil and gas PSUs have taken up several pilot projects in this sector, some of which will start showing results this year itself.
India is capable of creating a $12-13 trillion industry by 2050 and emerging as a major global energy supplier.
What is green hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas produced by electrolysis of water.
Electrolysis of water is an energy intensive process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.
In this method an electric current is used to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water.
If this electricity is obtained from renewable sources, energy will be produced without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Brown hydrogen
It is produced by use of coal where the emissions are released to the air.
Grey hydrogen
It is produced from natural gas where the emissions are released to the air.
Blue hydrogen
It is produced from natural gas, in which the emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage.
Capacity of India in renewable energy sector
India currently ranks fourth in renewable energy capacity globally.
India will add 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Presently the renewable energy capacity in India is 136 GW, which is 36% of the total energy capacity in India.
Solar and wind energy are the main sources of renewable energy.
Other alternatives such as biomass energy, methanol-based blending and hydrogen are considered the fuel of the future.
3. Hotels, restaurants can't force customers to pay service charge
Tags: National News
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on July 4 barred hotels and restaurants from adding service charges "automatically or by default" to food bills.
If any restaurant or hotel collects service charges from customers, then they can file a complaint.
If any restaurant or hotel collects service charges from customers, then they can file a complaint on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).
A complaint can also be lodged with the Consumer Commission or the District Collector in this regard.
The consumer can also file a complaint against unfair trade practice with the consumer commission through the e-daakhil portal.
No hotel or restaurant shall compel any customer to pay service charges.
Paying service charges will depend on the customer whether to be paid or not.
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has been set up under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Its primary objective is to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
It is empowered to inquire into the violation of consumer rights and initiate complaints/prosecution proceedings.
It shall consist of following members appointed by Central Government-
Chief Commissioner
Two Commissioners, they will each represent goods and services.
It will have an Investigation Wing that will be headed by a Director General.
District collectors will also be empowered to inquire into complaints of violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices and false or misleading advertisements.
4. Yair Lapid Officially Becomes New Prime Minister Of Israel
Tags: Person in news International News
Yer Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid party, has been officially elected as the 14th Prime Minister of Israel.
Lapid's term could be shortened as he is made the head of the caretaker government ahead of the November 1 election.
Lapid replaces outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Lapid is an Israeli politician and a former journalist.
He has also previously served as the alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022.
Before joining politics in 2012, Lapid was a writer, TV presenter and news anchor.
About Israel
Israel is a country located in Southwest Asia. It is located at the eastern end of the Southeast Mediterranean Sea.
The modern nation of Israel was established in 1948.
Parliament is elected on the basis of universal suffrage by proportional representation method every four years.
Israel is considered the most advanced country in Southwest Asia and the Middle East in economic and industrial development.
Capital- Jerusalem
President- Isaac Herzog
Currency- Israeli new shekel
5. QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2023
Tags: International News
QS Best Students City Ranking 2023 was published recently. London is ranked the best city in this ranking.
The QS ranking has been released for 140 cities across the world.
London was ranked the best for students looking to study abroad in terms of university standards, affordability and student facilities.
Indian city
The highest ranked student city of India is Mumbai.
Globally it is ranked 103rd.
Bengaluru is at 114th position after Mumbai.
Chennai and Delhi have made their own entries in the list and are ranked 125th and 129th respectively.
According to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19, the number of international students enrolled in Indian universities was just 47,427.
India has set a target of attracting 200,000 international students by 2023, which is four times the current total.
world cities rank
Seoul and Munich are in second and third place after London.
Zurich and Melbourne are ranked fourth and fifth.
Buenos Aires took the top spot in Latin America. It has been ranked 23rd.
The best student city in the Arab region is Dubai. It is ranked 51st globally.
6. Asia Pacific Sustainability Index 2021
Tags: International News
Recently the Asia Pacific Sustainability Index 2021 was launched by Knight Frank, a global property advisor.
The index ranks 36 cities on the basis of urbanisation pressure, carbon emissions, climate risk and government initiatives.
Four Indian cities, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai have been ranked in the top 20 sustainable cities in this index.
Indian cities rank
Bangalore ranks first among Indian cities. Whereas it is ranked 14th in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bengaluru is the only Indian city to have achieved the 'Gold' standard category.
Bengaluru is followed by Delhi, which is ranked 17th in the Asia Pacific region.
Hyderabad is ranked 3rd in India and 18th in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mumbai ranks 4th among Indian cities and 20th in the Asia-Pacific region.
World cities rank
Singapore tops this index.
It is followed by Sydney, Wellington, Perth and Melbourne.
Green bond in india
According to the report, there has been an increase of 523% year-on-year in issuance of green bonds in India.
It was USD 1.1 billion in 2020 and has increased to USD 6.8 billion in 2021.
Currently, India has become the sixth largest country in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the total amount of green bonds issued in 2021.
Green Bonds in the Asia-Pacific Region
The sector issued USD 126 billion in green bonds in 2021, according to estimates from the Climate Bonds Initiative.
China issued the largest amount of bonds worth USD 68 billion.
7. India's Participation in Seychelles Independence Day Celebrations
Tags: International News
The Indian Navy contingent joined Seychelles Defence Force personnel and Seychelles citizens for the Independence Day celebrations.
INS Kolkata, an indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy, was deployed at Port Victoria, Seychelles on the occasion of Seychelles Independence Day on 29 Jun 22.
A marching contingent of Indian Navy personnel accompanied by a musical band participated in the military parade held at the Unity Stadium in Roche Caiman on 3 July.
The deployment marked the continued participation of the Indian military contingent in the Seychelles National Day since 1976.
INS Kolkata
It is a stealth guided missile destroyer.
BrahMos missile and Barak 8 missiles were test fired from INS Kolkata in 2015.
It was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited and was handed over to the navy on 10 July 2014 after completing its sea trials.
It was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ceremony held on 16 August 2014.
Seychelles
It is an island republic in the Western Indian ocean . It is a part of Eastern Africa .
Capital : Victoria
President : Wavel Ramkalawan
Currency : Seychelles rupee
8. PM Narendra Modi inaugurate Digital India Week 2022 at Gandhinagar
Tags: Popular National News
Digital India Week 2022 inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on 4 July.
During the programme, several digital initiatives were launched by the Prime Minister with an aim to streamline service delivery to increase access to technology, make life easier and promote startups.
The State Information Technology Department (IT) is organizing this event to mark the completion of seven years of Digital India.
Theme of Digital India Week - New India Technology Inspiration
PM also announced the first cohort of 30 Institutions to be supported under the Chips to Startup Programme.
Objective of the program
Enhancing technology penetration, streamlining service delivery systems to ease lifestyles and promoting startups.
‘Digital India Bhashini’
On this occasion, 'Digital India Bhashini' was unveiled by the Prime Minister.
This will enable easy access to the Internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help in content creation in Indian languages.
‘Digital India GENESIS’
PM also launched ‘Digital India GENESIS’.
It is a national deep-tech startup platform that will explore, support, develop and build successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities in India.
A total outlay of Rs 750 crore is envisaged for this scheme.
'Indiastack.global’
PM also launched 'Indiastack.global’.
It is a global repository of key projects implemented under India Stack like Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, Coin Vaccination Platform and Government e-Marketplace.
This offering from India for the Global Public Digital Goods Repository will help position India as a leader in building population-scale digital transformation projects.
It will also prove to be of great help to other countries that are looking for such technological solutions.
‘MyScheme’
The Prime Minister dedicated the citizens ‘MyScheme’.
It is a service discovery platform facilitating access to Government Schemes.
It aims to offer a one-stop search and discovery portal where users can find the plans they are eligible for.
‘Meri Pehchaan’
The PM also dedicated the citizens ‘Meri Pehchaan’- National Single Sign On for One Citizen Login.
National Single Sign-On is a user authentication service in which a set of credentials provides access to multiple online applications or services.
About Digital India Programme
It was launched on July 1, 2015.
Its vision is to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Its aims are-
creating digital infrastructure,
delivering services digitally
making people digitally literate
9. India's first National Coalition Forum for Urban Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)
Tags: National News
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India's first National Coalition Forum for Urban Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) was launched at the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland.
Important facts
The National Alliance Forum was launched by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Climate Centre for Cities (NIUA C-Cube), World Resources Institute India (WRI India-World Resources Institute India) and their partners.
NIUA focuses on research, knowledge management, policy, advocacy and capacity building on urban development and management to develop sustainable, inclusive and productive urban ecosystems in the country.
About nature based solutions(NBS)
NbS is defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the act of protecting, sustaining, managing and restoring natural and modified ecosystems that contribute to human well-being and biodiversity while effectively and adaptively addressing social challenges. associated benefits.
NbS helps in mitigating the impact of climate change as well as providing benefits to many ecosystems including addressing various social challenges, building disadvantaged and vulnerable urban communities most affected by climate change induced disasters.
About World Urban Forum
The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanism.
WUF was established in 2001 by the United Nations to investigate rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.
WUF11 is co-organized by UN-Habitat, Poland's Ministry of Development Fund and Regional Policy, and the Municipal Office of Katowice, Poland.
10. Ashadhi Bij - The Kutch community's New Year
Tags: Popular National News
Ashadhi Beej is celebrated every year on the second day of the month of Ashadha as Hindu New Year by the Kutch community in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Important facts
In 2022, it was celebrated on 1 July. It is also known as Kutchi New Year.
Kutchi New Year is a traditional festival and is celebrated in homes.
This festival marks the beginning of rains in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
During Ashadhi seed, the humidity in the atmosphere is tested to predict which crop will do better in the coming monsoon.
Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and other regional deities are worshipped on this occasion.
In other parts of Gujarat, the Hindu New Year is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Paksha after Diwali.
Rann of Kutch
The Rann of Kutch in India is located in the Thar Desert biogeographic region in the Indian state of Gujarat. This area is also spread in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
The Rann of Kutch covers a vast area of about 10,000 square miles and is located between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus River in southern Pakistan.
In the north-east corner of the Rann of Kutch is the Luni River, which originates from Rajasthan.
The Rann of Kutch is counted among the wetlands of India.
The Gulf of Kutch lies to the west of this region and the Gulf of Khambhat is to the east.
The region is home to a large population of the wild Asian donkey, which is a member of the wild horse family.
The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is famous for the Chote Rann of Kutch.
The Rann of Kutch is the only region in India that gives refuge to migratory flamingos.
The region is home to a total of 13 species of lark.
Some of the other bird species found in the marshlands of Kutch include Ibis, Spoonbill, Common Crane, Pelican etc.
The Biosphere Reserve of the Rann of Kutch is considered an important area for the conservation of critically endangered vulture species.
