National
• Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has revised Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) with an effect from 1 April, 2015. The scheme aims for the comprehensive socio-economic development of PVTGs.
• Every year 7th August will be celebrated as National Handloom Day. It was announced by Union Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar in both the Houses of Parliament.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue 10 rupee denomination coins to commemorate International Yoga Day which is being observed every year on 21 June.
• Punjab government has announced to release 15 Gharials in the Beas belt, near Harike Patan in order boost tourism.
• Union Government has announced to roll out e-tourist visa facility to Chinese nationals from July 30, 2015. Hong Kong and Macao nationals will also be provided with e-tourist visa facility along with Chinese citizens.
• The third phase of e-auction of Frequency Modulation (FM) Radio has fetched around 395 crore rupees of the first day of auction.
• The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI) successfully completed its hundred years of service on 27 July 2015. The hundredth year celebration was inaugurated by Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India, in the presence of many dignitaries from commerce and political background.
• Maharashtra government has placed a comprehensive plan to develop six solar cities in order to add solar capacity of 7,500 MW in the state.
• Computer Science Corporation (CSC) and Hindustan Computer Limited (HCL) to big IT companies have signed an agreement to form a new company to provide technology services and solutions to the banking industry.
• Union Government launched Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DUGJY) in Patna, Bihar.
• Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the 3 state governments will soon start an artificial breeding programme of Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
International
• Cyclone Komen made landfall in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. The cyclone has caused heavy rains that inundated vast areas of the coastal towns of Bangladesh, West Bengal and Odisha.
• India is going to become the most populous nation in the world by surpassing China in 2022. It was revealed in recently released United Nation’s report titled ‘World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision’ indicating India’s population growth within next seven years.
• Pakistan received 336 million dollars fund from the United States for its on-going role in combating a Taliban insurgency in its neighbouring country Afghanistan.
• India inked a loan agreement worth US 300 million dollar with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support the Union Government’s flagship program of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
• The Kolkata-based private sector wagon manufacturer Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) has acquired Italian coach manufacturing company Firema Trasporti for 25 million Euros.
• Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange’ (SDiX) the first ever diamond exchange is all set to function from September 2015.
• Kazakhstan, a member of the Russia-led economic blocks became 162th member of World Trade Organization (WTO). Kazakhstan’s entry has ended its long wait of 20 years to become a member of WTO as its accession talks were initiated in 1996.
• The population of Royal Bengal Tiger in Sundarbans region of Bangladesh has declined sharply to 106 from 440 in 2004. It was revealed in recently released new Tiger census 2015 of Bangladesh.
• Government of Sri Lanka inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with search engine giant Google to launch the Google Loon project in the country.
• South Korea has declared the deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in the country has over. It was announced by South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.
• China has successfully tested the power system of Long March-5, a fifth generation of carrier rocket belonging to China’s Long March family of rockets.
• World Trade Organisation (WTO) members reached a landmark Information Technology (IT) trade deal in order to add more than 200 products to the list dealing with zero-tariff and duty-free trade.
Business and Economy
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has cancelled licence of Sahara asset Management Company (AMC). The license will stand cancelled after sixty days from the date of the order.
• Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has given nod to Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their conceptual development plan (CDP) report on Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) and Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) respectively.
• The two leading financial news operations from Europe and Asia are now together, as Nikkei Japanese media group is going to buy the Financial Times from Britain’s Pearson in a $1.3 billion. Financial Times acquisition is a triumph for Nikkei as this is the biggest acquisition ever by any Japanese media organisation.
• Forbes Asia Fabulous 50 list released on the eve of its 10th Anniversary has listed 10 Indian companies which stands second after China in terms of number of companies listed.
• Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL) has signed three strategic agreements with Kazakhstan companies in order to deepen its roots in Central Asia.
• App based Cab service provider Ola has made entry into on-demand grocery delivery service by launching a new app named ‘Ola Store’.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) launched a mobile banking app ‘Kotak Bharat’ aiming to provide mobile banking services to customers in the remotest regions of India.
• Procter & Gamble (P&G) has appointed its company veteran David Taylor as the new CEO by replacing A G Lafley on 29 July 2015.
• World’s second largest automaker General Motors (GM) has announced to invest USD 1 billion (6, 400 crore rupees) in India by 2020 and has decided to close its loss making plant at Halol, Gujarat.
• US Software giant Microsoft launched its new operating system Windows-10 with a host of new features. It was launched by Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella at a global launch event held in Kenya.
• The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has decided to sell its private banking business in India to Sanctum Wealth Management, in line of its prior decision to exit the Indian market.
• India’s Kalyani Group and Israel’s Rafael have partnered to produce Spike Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) in India.
• Facebook, the social networking leader has unveiled a new compressed version of its application called ‘Facebook Lite’ in India to reach out its users who have slow data connections.
• IndusInd Bank has acquired the diamond and jewellery (bullion) financing business and related deposit portfolio of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) for 4,100 crore rupees on 28 July 2015.
• India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Motocorp’s wholly owned subsidiaries in U.S is to buy certain tangible and intangible assets worth of USD 2.8 million of U.S based Erik Buell Racing (EBR). This purchase is a part of the settlement deal with court-appointed receiver in the bankruptcy matter.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed fine of 420 crore rupees on the local unit of Hyundai Motor Co.
• Israel’s largest drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical agreed to buy generic drugs business of Allergan Plc for USD 40.5 billion. According to the agreement Teva will make cash payment of USD 33.75 billion and USD 6.75 billion of its stock for Allergan.
• Bengaluru based gold Jewellery manufacturing company Rajesh Exports Ltd (REL) bought the world’s largest gold refining company Valcambi from US-based mining company Newmont Mining Corporation. REL had to fetch over 2560 crore rupees all in cash to buy Valcambi refinery.
• Infrastructure Development Financing Company (IDFC). Ltd became second lender to enter the banking sector since 2004, as the Reserve Bank of India granted Banking licence on 24 July 2015.
• The Hyderabad based Cyient Ltd has acquired Singapore based Global Services Engineering Asia from Pratt & Whitney Services Pte Ltd.
Awards
• Two Indians Sanjiv Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta have been awarded prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2015.
• Jorge Sampaio and Helena Ndume have been awarded with the inaugural Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.
• The Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) became the front runner in the Dun & Bradstreet’s ‘India’s Top PSUs Awards 2015 in the category of electrical and electronic equipment sector.
Sports
• Union Sports Ministry constituted a 9 member Working Group to prepare a revised draft of the National Sports Development Code (NSDC).
• Cyclist Chris Froome from Britain of Team Sky has won the 102nd edition Tour de France, an annual three-week multiple stage bicycle race at Champs Elysees in Paris.
• Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany won the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula One (F1). This was his overall second victory of the season after Malaysian Grand Prix and first of Hungarian Grand Prix.
• Indian women’s wrestling team has won the silver medal after finishing second in the fifth Senior International Wrestling Tournament (also known as Cup of the President of Republic of Kazakhstan).
• Union Government has constituted All India Council of Sports (AICS), as an advisory body to deliberate on matters relating to the development and promotion of sports in the country.
New Appointments/Resignations
• Debjani Ghosh took charge as new president of MAIT (the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology), the apex body of India’s Information technology hardware industry.
• Union Government has appointed former IAS officer Ashish Bahuguna as the chairman of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Anil Ambani led Reliance Group &ndash Oil & Gas Business appointed Ashok Kumar Balyan as its new CEO by on 27 July 2015.
• The IT Secretary Ram Sevak Sharma was appointed as the chairman of telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
• Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung approved appointment of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal as Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).
• Nestle India’s MD Etienne Benet has step down from his post, he will be replaced by Nestle Philippines Chairman and CEO Suresh Narayanan.
• Anand Krishnamurthy is now the new MD and CEO of Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB) replacing Rakesh Bhatia who had quit due to personal reason.
Death
• Dr Suniti Solomon, pioneer of Human immunodeficiency virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) research and treatment in India passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Former South African all-rounder cricketer Clive Rice passed away in Johannerburg, South Africa. He was 66 and was suffering from brain tumour.
• Veteran Sri Lankan historian Santasilan Kadirgamar passed away in Colombo after a brief illness. He was 81.
• Maharashtra government to exempt small cars from paying toll tax for all build operate transfer (BOT) road projects that worth over 200 crore rupees. Similar relief also given for road projects developed by the state Public Works Department (PWD) that cost below 200 crore rupees.
• Former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam passed away due to massive cardiac arrest in Shillong, Meghalaya. He was 83.
• Eminent Indian physicist Dr Parameswaran Hariharan passed away in California, United States. He was 89.
• Former Union Minister and 6 time Lok Sabha member Bijoy Krishna Handique passed away in Jorhat, Assam. He was 82.
• Former Governor of Kerala and Bihar, Ramkrishna Suryabhan Gavai passed away in Nagpur, Maharashtra after a prolonged illness. He was 86.
Science and Technology
• European Union (EU) has banned the marketing of around 700 generic medicines among its member countries.
• China launched two new navigational satellites into space as part of its domestic navigation system BeiDou (meaning Compass).
Days of the Month
• World Hepatitis Day is being observed every year on July 28 around the globe.
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