National
Approval for revised implementation strategy of BharatNet
⇒ The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, accorded approval for revised implementation strategy of BharatNet through Public Private Partnership mode in 16 States of the country. BharatNet will now extend upto all inhabited villages beyond Gram Panchayats.
The revised strategy also includes creation, upgradation, operation, maintenance and utilization of BharatNet.
The estimated maximum viability gap funding support upto Rs 19,041 crores approved for implementation of BharatNet under PPP Model in 16 States.
These 16 states are:
Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
An estimated 3.61 lakh villages including Gram Panchayats will be covered under this.
The Cabinet also accorded in principle approval for extending BharatNet to cover all inhabited villages in the remaining States and UTs.
Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy)
⇒ Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, AVSM, YSM took over as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), on 01 July 2021. The General officer was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983.
The Deputy Chief (Strategy) is a third and a new vertical created for overseeing the Indian Army’s operations and intelligence directorates.
CEO of NITI Aayog
⇒ The tenure of Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant has been extended by one year till June 2022. This is a third extension of him for CEO post.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in tenure of Kant for a further period of one year beyond June 30, 2021 i.e upto June 30, 2022 or until further orders.
He was appointed as the CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (Niti Aayog) on February 17, 2016, for a fixed two-year term.
Odisha Govt to set up district Industry and Investment promotion agencies
⇒ Recently, the Odisha State Government has decided to set up district-level Industry and Investment promotion agencies in different districts. This decision has been taken in a direction of creating of new employment opportunities and boosting of economic activities in rural areas.
Director WhatsApp Payments - India
⇒ Recently, WhatsApp has appointed former Amazon executive Manesh Mahatme as Director to lead the growth of its payments business in India.
As Director WhatsApp Payments – India, Mahatme will focus on enhancing the payments experience for users, scaling the service offering and work towards contributing to WhatsApp’s vision of digital and financial inclusion in India.
International
MoU signed between India and Republic of The Gambia
⇒ The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of MoU between Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, India and the Public Service Commission, Office of the President, Gambia.
The Union Cabinet approved the MoU on Refurbishing Personnel Administration and Governance Reforms.
Important areas of cooperation under this MoU:
- Improving Performance Management System in Government
- Implementation of contributory Pension Scheme
- E-recruitment in Government
Objective:
The main objective of the MoU is to strengthen and promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries in Personnel Administration and Governance Reforms.
Bharti Group's Investment in OneWeb
⇒ Bharti Group on 29 June 2021 said it would invest $500 million to become the largest shareholder in the satellite communications company OneWeb.
OneWeb is a global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company.
2021 International eAssessment Awards
⇒ Excelsoft Technologies, Mysuru, won the prestigious annual International eAssessment Awards in the category of the best international implementation.
Excelsoft Technologies won the award for implementing Saras, its local technology platform for one of its clients in Mexico.
The e-Assessment Association announced the winners for Best International Implementation at its 5th International E-Assessment Awards Ceremony, held on June 22, 2021.
The e-Assessment Association (eAA) is UK based not-for-profit membership body.