Today's Current Affairs 3rd July 2023

NATIONAL

The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) is celebrated Ashadha Purnima at National Museum

• The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Government of India,celebrated Ashadha Purnima on 3 July, 2023 as the Dharma Chakra Pravartana Divas at National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi. It is the annual flagship event of IBC and the second most sacred day for Buddhists after the Buddha Purnima or the Vaishakha Purnima.
• A video address by the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu will be presented at the programme. The programme highlight will be the screening of the film on IBC’s special project in Lumbini (Nepal) – “India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage”. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Centre at Lumbini in Nepal last year on Buddh Purnima.
• The programme will include Dhamma talk on the Significance of Ashadha Purnima by His Holiness 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa and the Special Address by Minister of Culture and External Affairs Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi. Many other dignitaries and Patriarchs of Buddhist Sanghas, eminent Masters, Scholars, and diplomatic representatives based in New Delhi will be participating in the event

Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the three-day celebration programme of the 108th ZSI day in Kolkota

• The Union Minister for Environment & Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav today – July 3. inaugurated the three-day celebration programme of the 108th ZSI day in Kolkota in presence of Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, Shri Chandra Prakash Goyal, Director, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Dr Dhriti Banerjee and Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Dr Ashiho Asosii Mao.
• he Minister categorically pointed out that we must protect the Indian faunal diversity to protect ourselves as climate change has busted the myth that humans are superior to nature.
• He gave an instance put forward by renowned Anthropologist Eduardo Kohn, who said forests can think as the trees interact with their environment because they have specialised characteristics of pest resistance. The forest characteristics, he said, remind us of what Gandhiji once said-‘In nature, there is enough for everyone’s need’.
• The Union Minister gave the instance of discovery of DDT, the pesticide, during World War II and how the eminent biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson made people aware of the harm it causes to the environment in her book named ‘Silent Spring’ in 1958, a testimony to human arrogance towards nature.

 SPORTS

132nd Durand Cup tournament organized in Kolkata

• The "Trophy Tour" of the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, India's oldest football tournament, was flagged off on 30 June 2023 at a function held at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt.
• It was flagged off by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pandey, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary and President of All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kalyan Choubey.
• This tournament will be organized from 03 August to 03 September 2023 in Kolkata.
• Foreign teams in Durand Cup - 24 teams including teams from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will participate in the 132nd edition of the tournament.
• Foreign teams are participating in the tournament after a gap of 27 years. The tournament is open to all club teams. It is organized by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) under the aegis of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
• Basically the tournament has always been a symbol of excellence, sportsmanship and high point of competitiveness in the field of sports.
• Durand Cup Tournament - The Durand Cup, the world's third oldest and Asia's oldest football tournament, was first held in the year 1888 at Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh).
• It was named after Mortimer Durand, who was then the Foreign Secretary in charge of India. The tournament was initially held for British soldiers, but was later opened to civilians. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand Cup having won it sixteen times.

Yuki Bhambri wins maiden ATP doubles title in Spain

• Indian tennis player Yuki Bhambri made a remarkable breakthrough in his career by capturing his maiden title on the ATP World Tour. Partnering with South African player Lloyd Harris, Bhambri secured the doubles trophy at the Mallorca Championships.
• The Indo-South African duo displayed exceptional skill and resilience to defeat the Dutch-Austrian pair of Robine Hasse and Philipp Oswald in a thrilling final on the grass courts. This victory serves as a significant milestone for Bhambri, whose singles career has been hampered by injuries. By transitioning to doubles, Bhambri aims to prolong his tennis career and make a mark in the competitive world of doubles tennis

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Centre reappoints Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General of India for 3 more years

• Senior advocate and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been reappointed as the Solicitor General of India for a further period of three years along with his team of six additional solicitor generals (ASG) in the Supreme Court.
• The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) as Mehta’s term along with that of other law officers in the top court came to an end on Friday. Mehta has been continuing as SG since October 2018.
• The order of ACC approving the re-appointment has extended the term of SG for a period of three years or until further orders. The six other law officers serving as ASGs in Supreme Court who have got extensions include Vikramjeet Banerjee, KM Nataraj, Balbir Singh, Suryaprakash V Raju, N Venkatraman and Aishwarya Bhati. No orders have been issued yet for re-appointing three ASGs – Madhavi Divan, Sanjay Jain and Jayant K Sud whose term will come to an end on Friday.

Ajit Pawar sworn in as the new Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra

• NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government to take up this role.
• Ajit Pawar is the son of Sharad Pawar's elder brother Anantrao. He began his political career in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a sugar cooperative.
• About: Ajit Pawar - Ajit Anantrao Pawar is an Indian politician from Nationalist Congress Party who is serving as the 9th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra with Devendra Fadnavis since 2023, previously, from 2019 to 2022, 2019 to 2019, 2012 to 2014 and 2010 to 2012.

Vice Admiral Atul Anand takes over as Additional Secretary, DMA 

• Vice Admiral Atul Anand took over as Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs on July 03, 2023. The post was previously held by Lt Gen Anil Puri, who superannuated on February 28, 2023.
• Vice Admiral Atul Anand was commissioned into the executive branch of the Indian Navy on January 01, 1988. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy (71st Course, Delta Squadron); Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur (Bangladesh) and National Defence College, New Delhi. He has also attended the Advanced Security Cooperation course at Asia Pacific Centre of Security Studies, Hawaii, USA.
• Vice Admiral Atul Anand has held several key appointments in his career, including the command of Torpedo Recovery Vessel INTRV A72; missile boat INS Chatak; corvette INS Khukri and the destroyer INS Mumbai. He also served as the Navigating Officer of IN ships Sharda, Ranvijay & Jyoti and was the Direction Officer of the Sea Harrier squadron INAS 300 and the Executive Officer of the destroyer INS Delhi. His important staff appointments include Joint Director, Staff Requirements; Directing Staff at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Director, Naval Operations and Director, Naval Intelligence (Ops).
• He has also served as Principal Director, Naval Operations and Principal Director, Strategy, Concepts and Transformation at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy). As a Flag Officer, he has served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign, Cooperation and Intelligence); Deputy Commandant & Chief Instructor at National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla; Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval area; Flag Officer Commanding Karnataka Naval area and Director General Naval Operations.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Plastic Bag Free Day

• International Plastic Bag Free Day is observed annually to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of single-use plastic bags on the environment and the day serves as a reminder to individuals, communities and businesses worldwide to take action and reduce their reliance on plastic bags. Plastic bags contribute to pollution, harm wildlife, and take hundreds of years to decompose, causing long-term damage to ecosystems.
• History - The initiative was started by the Bag Free World campaign, a global movement aiming to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. The campaign was launched in 2008 by a group of organisations and individuals concerned about the environmental impact of plastic bags.
• Theme - There is no specific theme for 2023 International Plastic Bag Free day. The significance of International Plastic Bag Free Day is to create a consciousness to take measures towards decrease the dependency on plastic bags and promoting other alternative solutions that are sustainable.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Two-day Startup20 Shikhar summit begins in Gurugram, Haryana

• The two-day Startup20 Shikhar summit hosted by the Startup20 Engagement Group has begun in Gurugram, Haryana. The summit will serve as a landmark event for the official release of the final Policy Communiqué.
• The Communiqué will lay the foundation for a transformative and inclusive startup ecosystem, fostering economic growth, innovation, and cross-border collaboration. The Startup20 Engagement Group operates under the India G20 Presidency, aiming to shape the future of the global startup ecosystem. Our correspondent reports that Startup20 strives to foster innovation, collaboration, and inclusive growth to unleash the full potential of startups for economic prosperity and societal impact.

Parliamentary Standing Committee to hold meeting on UCC today to seek views of stakeholders

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice will hold a meeting on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) today.
• Committee head and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi informed that the panel will seek the views of the stakeholders on the matter. He added the meeting of the Committee is non-political as the panel has members from all political parties. The UCC proposes to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.
• On the 14th of last month, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognised religious organisations to examine the UCC. On the 14th of last month, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognised religious organisations to examine the UCC.s,