Today's Current Affairs 21st July 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Japan becomes second Quad partner to sign semiconductor pact with India

• In a significant move, India and Japan have solidified their partnership by signing an agreement to jointly develop the semiconductor ecosystem. The deal aims to bolster the resilience of the global supply chain, particularly in the crucial semiconductor industry. This marks Japan as the second Quad partner, after the United States, to join hands with India in this endeavor.
• The memorandum signed by Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura, encompasses various areas of collaboration. These include semiconductor design, manufacturing, equipment research, and talent development. The ultimate goal is to enhance the semiconductor supply chain’s robustness and ensure its reliability. 

NATIONAL

Gujarat to get country’s 1st ‘Satellite Network Portal Site’

• The Gujarat government signed an MoU with London-based Company, OneWeb and the Department of Science and Technology to set up a ‘Satellite Network Portal Site.’
• The MoU was signed by Vijay Nehra, Secretary, the State Department of Science and Technology, and Rahul Vatts, Director of OneWeb India Communication Pvt. Ltd.
• As per reports, OneWeb has decided to set up two ‘Satellite Network Portal Sites’ and one of them will be in Mehsana district of Gujarat and the other one will be in Tamil Nadu.
• The site will provide high-speed, low-latency, and affordable connectivity to the government, businesses, consumers, schools, among others. It will provide continuous and secure satellite internet access at affordable rates in the country.
• This satellite network portal, to be set up at Katosan and Tejpura in Jotana, will be commissioned in 2023 with a possible investment of over Rs 100 crores in Phase-I. It will create approximately 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state.
• OneWeb is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite company, which has as many as 648 satellites and aims to build a global communication network. It uses LEO to provide a broadband network instead of using the traditional method of using geostationary satellites located 36,000 km above the equator.

Chhattisgarh Government has launched Gramin Awaas Nyay Yojna

• A new housing scheme named Gramin Awaas Nyay Yojna launched by the Chhattisgarh Government, CM Bhupesh Baghel, with an objective to provide the free housing facility to the poor in the state. Gramin Awaas Nyay Yojna will cover up those families who are not eligible for PM Awaas Yojna based on 2011 SECC, based on the new survey conducted by the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development.
• About: Gramin Awaas Nyay Yojna - Gramin Awaas Nyay Yojna is a new housing scheme of Chhattisgarh launched on 19th July with an objective to provide pucca house to those poor families who are ineligible for PM Awaas Yojna 2011 SECC. The data of the beneficiaries will be collected by the survey which will be conducted by the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development.

Anshuman Jhingran Becomes Youngest Person To Cross North Channel

• Anshuman Jhingran, a 18-year-old open water swimmer from Navi Mumbai, has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the youngest person ever to cross the North Channel.
• His extraordinary accomplishment, completed in just 125 days, has earned him a coveted spot in the esteemed Guinness World Records.
• Notably, his successful crossing marks the 114th achievement of its kind since 1947. Anshuman’s outstanding feat has brought him well-deserved global recognition and admiration from the international swimming community.
• About: The North Channel - The North Channel, situated between the northeastern coast of Northern Ireland and the southwestern coast of Scotland, serves as a strait that starts north of the Isle of Man, marking the end of the Irish Sea. Flowing northwestward into the Atlantic Ocean, this channel is renowned as one of the most challenging Ocean Seven Swims.

SPORTS

Virat Kohli becomes 10th cricketer to make 500 international appearances

• Indian cricketing legend Virat Kohli achieved a significant milestone by becoming the 10th cricketer in history to make 500 international appearances. He reached this remarkable feat during India’s second and final Test match against the West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. With this accomplishment, Kohli joins an elite list of four Indian players, including the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and MS Dhoni. Kohli’s exceptional career includes 274 ODIs, 115 T20Is, and 111 Test matches, showcasing his immense contribution to Indian cricket. This historic achievement further solidifies Virat Kohli’s status as one of the game’s greatest players.
• Tendulkar leads the list, which is dominated by Asian batters, with 664 appearances. Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene is the only other to make more than 600 international matches. 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Lokesh M appointed as CEO of Noida Authority

• Following orders issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday, 2005-batch IAS officer Lokesh M has been appointed as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Noida Authority.
• Former CEO Ritu Maheshwari has been transferred to Agra where she will take charge as Divisional Commissioner. A native of Karnataka, Lokesh M, had completed his training from Aligarh in 2006. He was District Magistrate and collector of Mainpuri, Kushinagar, Etah, Ghazipur, Amroha and Kaushambi districts from 2009 to 2016. He was on deputation to Karnataka from 2016 to 2021, after which he was made the Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur before getting posted as Agra commissioner on May 31. Now as he has been given the responsibility of CEO of Noida Authority, official sources said that new CEO Lokesh M is likely to join Noida Authority on Friday.
• Meanwhile, Maheshwari, a 2003-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), will join as Divisional Commissioner of Agra, replacing IAS officer Alok Gupta, who will be joining as the Divisional Commissioner of Kanpur. In July 2019, Maheshwari was made the CEO of Noida after her stint as the district magistrate of the adjoining Ghaziabad district.

Nivruti Rai, former Intel India head, joins Invest India as MD and CEO

• Former Intel India head Nivruti Rai has joined as the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry informed on Wednesday. She has taken over the charge from Manmeet K Nanda, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) who had assumed this additional charge in March 2023.
• Rai is the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her contributions to the field of technology. She spent 29 years at Intel as a global business and technology leader. She led Intel India as Country Head for the past seven years driving the growth and investment of Intel in India.
• During her tenure at Intel India, Rai contributed significantly towards indigenous technology development, start-up ecosystem, electronics manufacturing ecosystem, and policy formulation, especially in the areas of critical and emerging technologies,

Central government has appointed IPS officer Manoj Yadava as DG Railway Protection Force

• Manoj Yadava, a senior IPS officer from the Haryana cadre, has been designated as the new Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), according to an order from the Personnel Ministry. Yadava, who belongs to the 1988 batch of the Indian Police Service, will take over from Sanjay Chander, who is set to retire on July 31. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Yadava’s appointment as DG, RPF, until his retirement on July 31, 2025.
• Yadava, who was the Haryana DGP from 2019-21, is the senior most IPS officer in the cadre and is on central deputation at present as DG (investigations), National Human Rights Commission.
• About: Railway Protection Force (RPF) - Railway Protection Force (RPF) is an armed Force of the Union under the administrative and operational control of Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways, Government of India established by the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957; enacted by the Indian Parliament for “the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area”. It has the power to search, arrest, Enquiry, and prosecute offenses committed under Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966, The Railways Act, 1989 (amended from time to time). However the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of state police.[4] The force is under the authority of the Indian Ministry of Railways. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Seven-year-old Indian-origin girl wins UK PM’s Points of Light award

• A seven-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl, who started volunteering for a United Nations' sustainability initiative against microplastic pollution when she was just three, has been awarded the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.
• Moksha Roy, who received the award from Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden last week, has the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.
• Moksha has been recognised for volunteering for several sustainability campaigns, including raising funds to help children in need.
• “Moksha has set an excellent example in her work championing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has gone to significant lengths to have these included in the school curriculum and has been in communication with leaders all over the world to encourage them to consider this,” said Dowden.
• “Her school no longer uses plastic glitter, confetti or plastic art supplies – this is a testament to her strong beliefs and ability to change those around her to create a better world,” he said.