July 1-2nd, 2018

1. Maharashtra Government Announces ‘Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana’.

  • The Maharashtra government announced a new scheme called ‘Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana’, wherein farmers families where girl children are born will be given saplings for plantation.
  • The scheme is aimed at empowering women and promoting tree plantation. The scheme was approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
  • Maharashtra CM- Devendra Fadnavis, Governor- C Vidyasagar Rao.

2. 1st July 2018 to be celebrated as ‘GST day’

  • The Government of India has announced that 1st of July shall be commemorated as ‘GST Day’. Union Minister for Railways, Coal, Finance & Corporate Affairs Mr Piyush Goyal presided over as the Chief Guest of the event and Minister of State for Finance.
  • The government of India is celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) coming into force on 1st July 2017.

3. Australia Wins Hockey Champions Trophy 2018

  • India lost to defending champions Australia via penalty shoot-off in the finals. This is the 37th and final edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy at Breda, the Netherlands. It was Australia’s record 15th Champions Trophy title.
  • India won their second consecutive silver medal, hosts the Netherlands bagged the bronze medal.

4. Lee Chong Wei wins Malaysian Open Badminton singles title

  • Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei defeated Japan’s Kento Momota to secure a historic 12th Malaysia Open title.
  • Other Categories:-
  1. Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei defeated Kento Momota.
  2. Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong defeated Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping.
  3. Women’s doubles: Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi defeated Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan.
  4. Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-Ying defeated He Bingjiao.
  5. Men’s doubles: Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda defeated Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe.

5. India gets its 37th WORLD UNESCO World HERITAGE SITE

  • In yet another landmark achievement, India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
  • The decision was taken at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in Bahrain.
    As recommended by the World Heritage Committee, India accepted the renaming of the ensemble as “Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai”.
  • India has been successful in securing the inscription of the “Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” on UNESCO’s World Heritage List under Criteria (ii) and (iv) as defined in the UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines.
  • This makes Mumbai city the second city in India after Ahmedabad to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.
  • Maharashtra leads the states with five Unesco tags (including Ajanta and Ellora). India now has 37 World Heritage inscriptions in all.
  • UNESCO:- Headquarters: Paris, France|Head: Audrey Azoulay

6. B. Sriram takes charge as MD and CEO of IDBI Bank

  • B Sriram has assumed charge as Managing Director and CEO of IDBI Bank.
  • Sriram was appointed MD and CEO in place of Mahesh Kumar Jain who recently took charge as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • Sriram has been working as the MD (Corporate and Global Banking) in SBI since July 2014.

7. S. Ramesh takes over as Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

  • Shri S. Ramesh, IRS(C&CE:1981) has taken over as Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs [CBIC], on superannuation of Smt. Vanaja N. Sarna.
  • Prior to his elevation, he was Member (Administration) in the Board.
  • Shri S. Ramesh began his career in Mumbai as Asst Commissioner, Central Excise and thereafter in Mumbai Customs.
  • He has worked in various capacities in Hyderabad, Nagpur, Chennai, Trichy etc.
  • He was the Chief Commissioner, Chennai Customs Zone from 2013 to 2016.
  • Thereafter, he took over as Director General, Systems & Data Management.
    He joined the Board in September 2016 as Member (IT, Central Excise & Service Tax).

8. India clinch Kabaddi Masters title with an easy win over Iran

  • Putting up yet another superlative show, India thrashed Iran 44-26 to emerge champions of the six-nation Kabaddi Masters Dubai.
  • In a battle between the top two sides of the world, the three-time world champions did not give Iran any ground to recover.
  • The six-nation invitational tournament was organized by International Kabaddi Federation in association with Star Sports and Dubai Sports Council.

9. Janardan Singh Gehlot Elected International Kabaddi Federation Chief

  • Janardan Singh Gehlot was elected the president of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) for the next four years.
  • It was announced after the Annual General Congress (AGC) of the federation, conducted in Dubai, the UAE.

10. Nigeria Replaces India to Become World’s Largest Poor Population: Brookings Report

  • With the persistent decline in poverty, India is no longer a nation having the largest number of poor people in the world, according to a study published by the US-based think tank, Brookings.
  • According to the study, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number 2 spot.
  • The study, titled ‘The start of a new poverty narrative’ and published in the Brookings’ blog, is authored by Homi Kharas, Kristofer Hamel, and Martin Hofer.

11. Telangana CM Lays Stone For Rs 554-Crore Gattu Project

  • Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had laid the foundation stone for Gattu irrigation project in Jogulamba Gadwal district. The Chief Minister announced that ₹554 crore will be spent to complete the project
  • With Gattu lift irrigation project about 2.8 tmc of water would be supplied to 41 tanks, assuring water to 33,000 acres in the four mandals.
  • Telangana:-Capital: Hyderabad|Governor: E. S. L. Narasimhan

12. Bhitarkanika National Park Becomes Largest Habitat Of Endangered Estuarine Crocodiles

  • The Bhitarkanika National Park (Odisha) has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine crocodiles in the country with a record number of their nesting sites spotted in it. Altogether 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found this time by enumerators.
  • The nesting spots had registered 25% rise this year. At least 1698 crocodiles, including albino species, were counted this year along the water-bodies of Mahanadi delta region, while the figure recorded last year stood at 1682.

13. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Elected Mexico’s President

  • Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been elected as Mexico’s President with over 53% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission. Obrador, who has won the presidency at the third attempt, promised to tackle violence and wipe out corruption.
  • The 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor will formally take power on December 1. His main opponent was Ricardo Anaya.
  • Mexico Capital- Mexico City, Currency- Mexican peso.

14. National Doctors’ Day: 1 July

  • National Doctors’ Day was celebrated throughout India On 1st July 2018.
  • This day marks the birth and death anniversary of the most famous physician of India Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.
  • The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has declared the theme for Doctors’ Day 2018 as: ‘zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment’.
  • IMA has also decided to observed July 1 to 8 as ‘Safe Fraternity Week’.

15. Vijay Srinivas appointed Director & GM of United India Insurance

  • United India Insurance Company has announced the appointment of K B Vijay Srinivas as its Director and General Manager with effect from July 1.
  • Prior to taking up the new role, he was serving National Insurance Company Ltd as its Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager.
  • United India Insurance Company is the 2nd Largest General Insurance company in India. It is headquartered at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

16. Abu Dhabi Topped ‘Smartest City’ List In Middle East

  • Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has topped the list of “smart cities” in the Middle East and Africa.
  • With a rating of 18.4, Abu Dhabi ranked the first in the region ahead of Dubai, which was placed the second with a rating of 17.3.
  • The report was released by McKinsey Global Institute titled “Smart Cities: Digital Solutions for a More Livable Future”. It is based on how cities all over the world use technology to improve the quality of life.