Iran lauds India’s role in establishing peace in Afghanistan

TOP NEWS IN NUTSHELLS (07 August 2021)

**NATIONAL NEWS**

• COVID VACCINATION COVAREGE: Nation wide Covid-19 vaccination coverage tops 50 crore mark on 203^rd day of inoculation drive, making a historic milestone. Recovery rate stands at 97.36%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya complement citizens on achievement of this significant milestone.
• FINANCE SUPPORT TO JOURNALISTS: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting undertook a special drive for providing financial assistance to the families of journalists who succumbed to Covid 19.
• KARNATAKA SCHOOLS TO REOPEN:  Schools for students from class 9 to 12 (II PUC) will reopen from August 23, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Meanwhile weekend lockdown and night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am on Monday will be imposed in the districts bordering Kerala and Maharashtra. The existing night curfew across the state will continue. In Odisha, physical teaching for class IX will  resume from 16 August.
• JEE RESULTS: Result of the third session of Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2021 has been announced.  17 students scored the perfect 100 percentile. The highest number of toppers are 4 each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY: Textile Ministry will honor the handloom weaving community today on 7^th National Handloom Day. They are being honored for their contribution in the socio-economic development, said Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal.
• LS PASSES T L AMENDMENT BILL: Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by Lok Sabha without discussion amid Opposition’s protest on Pegasus controversy and Farm laws on Friday. The bill aims to nullify the relevant retrospective tax clauses introduced in 2012 to bring past indirect transfer of Indian assets under the ambit of taxation. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh said that Govt. is ready to discuss farmers issues in both houses of Parliament.
• DIGIATAL SAKSHARTA ABHIYAN: Nearly five crore beneficiaries have been enrolled and more than four crores have been trained under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan Scheme till 2nd August.
• PULICHINTHALA DAM: AP govt. deployed a team of experts to install a temporary gate in place of the radial crest gate number 16 of the dam. This gate was washed away due to a mechanical failure in the early hours on Friday.
• BIHAR FLOOD GRIM: Flood situation continues to be grim in Patna, Nalanda and Jehanabad districts. CM Nitish Kumar said that the flood threat might increase in case of more rainfall in the coming days.
• DHANBAD JUDGE DEATH CASE: Supreme Court issued a notice to CBI in a suo motu case pertaining to the death of Uttam Anand, an additional district and sessions judge in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, who was knocked down by an autorickshaw last month. The top court also said that CBI, IB and Police are not helping judiciary.
• DRONE USE PERMISSION: Ministry of Civil Aviation grants drone use permission to National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar.
• REWARD TO HOCKEY STAR: Mizoram Govt   offers government job and a house plot to state’s hockey star and Indian women hockey team’s forward Miss Lalremsiami for her scintillating performance in the Tokyo Olympics.
• FOOTBALL PROMOTION IN J&K: J&K will get international football stadium based on FIFA construction norms. The National Projects Construction Corporation is building this stadium at in Srinagar.

**INTERNATIONAL NEWS**

• PUSH FOR HIGHER EXPORT: PM Modi pushes for higher export from India in post pandemic world. He said that exports are about 20% of our GDP and have potential to grow a lot. Indian exporters should take advantage of the new opportunities created by changes in the global supply chain in the post- pandemic scenario.
• TROOPS DISENGAGMENT AT LOC: India and China have disengaged their troops in the Gogra region in Eastern Ladakh. The move came following the 12^th round of talks between the Corps Commanders of India and China, held previous month at Chushul-Moldo Meeting Point in Eastern Ladakh.
• AFGHANISTAN SITUATION: India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan and continues to call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. India supports an Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled peace process. India has condemned the forcible removal of Nishan Sahib atop the roof of historic Gurdwara Thala Sahib in Afghanistan’s Paktia province.
• IRAN SUPPORT INDIA: Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday backed India’s role in establishing peace and security in Afghanistan. He emphasised also the need for a joint plan to elevate relations between Tehran and New Delhi.
• INDIA’S GIFT TO B’DESH: India gifted thirty ambulances to Bangladesh. These ambulances arrived at the Petrapole land port. The gift from India reflects India’s commitment towards assisting the fraternal people of Bangladesh.
• PEACE MISSION-2021: India will carry out military drill with China and Pakistan: The drill will involve tactical-level operations in an international counter-insurgency or counter-terrorism environment under the SCO Charter.
• NASA MARS MISSION: NASA Mars Rover failed to collect rock from in search of Alien life. The US space agency published images of a small mound with a hole in its centre next to the rover -- the first ever dug into the Red Planet by a robot. But data sent to Earth by the rover after its first attempt to collect a sample and seal it in a tube indicated no rock had been gathered.