Today's Current Affairs 5th July 2023

NATIONAL

Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated International Hostel - Madhumaas at IARI

• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated an International Hostel named “Madhumaas” at ICAR-IARI.
• The inauguration ceremony was held on 3rd July on Guru Purnima and was attended by Union Minister of State Kailash Choudhary and Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General and Secretary, DARE.
• The government is supporting the creation of student-centric hostels with high-quality facilities and international standards due to the Institute's international education and growing student enrollment.
• About: Madhumaas" International Hostel - It can accommodate 504 students and offers facilities like single bedded rooms, rooms with attached bathroom and kitchen and family apartments.
• The hostel complex has a food court, gymnasium, restaurant, solar power system, rain water harvesting system, generator-based power backup, Wi-Fi network and R.O facilities.

Raksha Rajya Mantri inaugurates CSD Depot in Ambala

• Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt inaugurated new premises of the Canteen Store Department (CSD) Depot at Ambala on July 05, 2023. The premises has been constructed by Dedicated Freight Corridor India Limited under the Railway Ministry, in exchange of the land of the old CSD depot.
• Speaking on the occasion, RRM appreciated the work being done by CSD in realizing PM’s vision of automation and ease of doing business by providing excellent service to the armed forces, veterans, and their families. He congratulated the department for completing 75 years of service to the armed forces and their families.
• Established in 1948, CSD has 34 regional depots spread all over the country. “The contribution of the department in ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to the beneficiaries during the pandemic has been exemplary and commendable,” he said. 
• He also praised the Indian Railways for undertaking projects to boost the economy of the country.

SPORTS

Ajit Agarkar appointed India men's chairman of selectors by BCCI;

• Ajit Agarkar, the former India T20 World Cup winning all-rounder, has been appointed as the BCCI's new chairman of selectors for men's team. Agarkar, 45, takes over the post which has been lying vacant since February following Chetan Sharma's ouster after a sting operation carried out on him by a TV channel landed him in hot waters.
• The BCCI rules mandate that the most capped Test player in the five-member committee should be named its head. Once it was decided that Indian cricket needed a chairman with a stronger profile than Shiv Sundar Das (23 Tests), who had been serving as interim head, the board officials found it tough to get a replacement from North Zone which Sharma had represented.
• Agarkar, a veteran of 191 ODIs and 26 Tests, was the frontrunner for the position after being interviewed by the Cricket Advisory Committee which consists of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape. Agarkar, who has picked 349 international wickets in a career lasting nine years boasts a strong resume, having earlier prospered in the limited administration roles assigned to him. From 2017 to 2019, Agarkar served as Mumbai' chairman of selectors and was part of the Delhi Capitals along with coach Ricky Ponting and director of cricket Sourav Ganguly.

SAFF Championship Final: India win 9th title, beat Kuwait

• India defeated Kuwait by 5-4 in the penalty shootout of the final of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The match ended 1-1 in regulation time of the summit clash, which led to players from both the sides to take penalty shots from the spot for the coveted title.
• After five rounds of penalty kicks, the scoreline remained 4-4 and sudden death rule was applied.
• Mahesh Naorem scored but Sandhu saved Kuwait captain Khaled Hajiah's shot to the wild celebration of the home fans and at the India dug out.
• In the regulation time, Shabaib Al Khaldi had put Kuwait in the lead in the 14th minute before Lallianzuala Chhangte equalised in the 39th minute.
• This was the second time India won in the penalty shootout. They had made it to Tuesday's summit clash after beating Lebanon 4-2 in penalty shootout in the semifinal on July 1. Sandhu had also made a crucial save in the shootout then.

 APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Lt Gen MU Nair takes over as India's top cyber security chief

• Lt Gen MU Nair has been appointed the new National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) replacing Lt Gen (retd.) Dr Rajesh Pant on Monday. Lt Gen Nair previously held the chair of Signal-officer-in-Chief at the Army Headquarters.
• About: Lt Gen MU Nair - Lt Gen MU Nair, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, is appointed as the head of the National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC).
• He is India’s third cyber security chief after Lt Gen (retd.) Dr Rajesh Pant and first chief Gulshan Rai.
• Lt Gen MU Nair is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy.
• He has also held other important positions including the additional director general, signal intelligence, chief of staff of a corps and command.
• Nair has rich expertise in cyber warfare, signal intelligence and communication & information technology at the domestic and global levels.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture & Ras Al Khaimah of UAE signs MoU to enhance agri-collaboration

• Rad Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) and the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting mutual growth and development in the food and agriculture sector of the UAE and India.
• The agreement, signed by RAKEZ Group CEO Ramy Jallad and ICFA Chairman Dr. MJ Khan, is intended to strengthen the strategic collaboration between the two countries. The partnership also aims to facilitate knowledge exchange, trade promotion, investment, and research and development collaboration.
• India, being one of the UAE’s largest trading partners, brings valuable innovation and expertise in the food and agriculture sectors, particularly in sustainable farming and food processing technologies.
• The collaboration aims to provide opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity-building, allowing tech and agricultural companies in the RAKEZ business community to enhance their methods and share innovative, sustainable farming techniques with major Indian companies.

India Post & Canada Post signed a bilateral Tracked Packet agreement

• India Post & Canada Post signed a bilateral Tracked Packet agreement on 7th June 2023 to start International Tracked Packet Service. The agreement is an important step towards promoting cross-border e-commerce exports between the two countries.
• The service will provide a competitive shipping solution for packets up to 2.0 kg with a tracking facility and fulfil a major demand of exporters. Now India has this service with 39 partner countries and is in line with India's focus on increasing exports.
• Canada Post, a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. It operates as a group of companies called The Canada Post Group. It employs approximately 64,000 full and part-time employees. The Corporation holds an interest in Purolator Courier, Innovapost, Progistix-Solutions and Canada Post International Limited.

International Conference on Green Hydrogen to encourage emerging technologies  - 5th–7th July

• The International Conference on Green Hydrogen is being organised by the Government of India during 5th–7th July 2023 in New Delhi. It aims to bring together the global scientific, policy, academic and industrial leaders to discuss recent advances and emerging technologies in the entire green hydrogen value chain.
• The event is expected to enable the sector stakeholders to explore the evolving green hydrogen landscape and innovation-driven solutions in the sector. In this way, it aims at strengthening the sustainability ecosystem of the sector.
• Organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the event will be inaugurated by R K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy.

DGCA signs pact with EU aviation safety agency on drones

• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to cooperate on unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility.
• The MoU follows a letter of intent (LoI) that was signed during the EU-India Aviation Summit in New Delhi on April 20, 2023. The MoU will focus on collaboration on unmanned aircraft and innovative air mobility between the two civil aviation authorities, according to a press release.
• It is to ensure regular information sharing on technological developments and research in this area. According to the Aviation Ministry, the MoU will result in conferences, workshops, training programmes conducted by DGCA and EASA.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

HDFC Bank and HDFC Ltd merge to form a powerhouse financial organization

• On July 1, the largest private bank in India and the mortgage industry, HDFC Bank, will combine to form a new company with a market value of ₹14.37 lakh crore. In a period of consistent expansion for the Indian economy, the merger will be advantageous to both shareholders and customers.
• By combining their strengths, HDFC Bank and HDFC will become a stronger financial organisation. The objective is to better meet client needs and adjust to changes in the industry. Synergies between HDFC Bank's banking system and its client base in housing finance will result from the merger.
• The combination of banking services and housing finance options will probably result in the creation of novel goods and services catered to the requirements of homebuyers.
• Notably, around 70% of HDFC Bank's customers don't have an account with the bank. In contrast, only 2% of HDFC Bank's clients owned an HDFC product. This gives the combined company enormous potential for cross-selling its goods and services, enabling it to grow.