🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS | 19 JULY 2023

1. President Smt Droupadi Murmu has said that acceleration of rural development is essential for the overall development of the country.

2. Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning 20th of July, the Government has convened an all-party meeting today. The Monsoon session will commence on Thursday and will continue till 11th of August.

3. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Konkan & Goa, Central Maharashtra and Odisha during the next five days. 

4. *DELHI FLOODS* : The level of Yamuna water dropped below the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, Central Water Commission (CWC) data showed. 

5. PM Modi inaugurated the integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair through video conferencing.

6. Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has passed away. He was 79. He died at a Bangalore hospital early on Tuesday after battling cancer for more than a year. 

7. NITI Aayog released Export Preparedness Index 2022 report in New Delhi. According to the report, coastal states have performed well with states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat being the top performers. 

8. Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Swapnil Naik launches ‘Yuva Tourism Club’ in Itanagar. 

9. The 26 Opposition Parties against NDA have formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or named I.N.D.I.A. for 2024 General elections to fight the Lok Sabha election. The Congress National President Mallikarjuna Kharge announced this after the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru. 

10. The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a significant step towards improving the quality of education by introducing an educational initiative called CM Rise Schools. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his visit to Shajapur district

11. Schools in some districts of Telangana state will remain closed today due to the heavy rain alert. 

12. Gujarat NEET UG Counselling Registration 2023: Candidates can register for Gujarat MBBS 2023 counselling round 1 online at: medadmgujarat.org. The last date to apply for Gujarat NEET UG counselling is July 24. 

13. MHT MBA Counselling 2023: CET Cell, Maharashtra has extended the deadline to register for MAH MBA counselling CAP counselling registration till July 19. Candidates can apply for admission to MBA programmes on the official website: mba2023.mahacet.org.in

14. Four advocates picked for appointment as judges

(a) N Senthilkumar and G Arul Murugan (Madras HC), 

(b) Manjusha Ajay Deshpande (Bombay HC) 

(c) Kurubarahalli Venkataramareddy Aravind (Karnataka HC). 

15. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully performed the third orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. The next firing is planned for July 20 between 2 pm and 3 pm, the national space agency headquartered said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described India a bridge between Global South and Western world. 

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1. A relief to cash-strapped Pakistan, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday gave a final nod to a much-awaited USD 3 billion bailout programme for the country to support the government's efforts to stabilise the ailing economy.

2. Myanmar, South China Sea tensions top agenda at ASEAN meet In Indonesia. Southeast Asia's top diplomats are gathered in Indonesia amid pressure to address a bloody political crisis in Myanmar and resolve tensions in the South China Sea where some ASEAN members have overlapping territorial claims with China.

3. Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network's Founder Alex Mashinsky was arrested in the US. Mashinsky was charged with seven criminal counts—securities fraud, commodities fraud and wire fraud. 

4. At least 87 individuals, including ethnic Masalits, were buried in a mass grave in Sudan's West Darfur, the UN human rights office stated. They attributed it to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but RSF officials denied involvement. Ethnic violence has escalated alongside clashes between rival military factions in recent weeks, pushing Sudan towards civil war.

5. Visa applicants, including Indians, will face "significant" increases in fees and health surcharges paid towards UK's National Health Service to accommodate the country's public sector wage hikes, announced UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

6. In Nepal Kathmandu court has refused to register the marriage of a gay couple despite the Supreme Court (SC) legalising same-sex marriages. 

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▪️ Conference on Traditional Medicine between India and ASEAN Countries will be conducted on 20th July in New Delhi. 

▪️ External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Jakarta.

▪️ The government has imposed restrictions on imports of certain gold jewellery and articles. In a notification, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) amended the import policy for unstudded jewellery made of gold. 

▪️ The third Sherpas meeting under India’s G20 Presidency will began in Hampi in Karnataka. Chaired by India’s G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, the three days meeting on the banks of river Tungabhadra near UNESCO World Heritage site Hampi. 

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  🔆 SPORTS

▪️ Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur has congratulated the Indian team for their stellar performance at 2023 World Deaf Youth Badminton Championship.

▪️ Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur unveiled the trophy of 'Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023' for men's Hockey at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium in New Delhi. On the occasion, he also launched the 'Pass the Ball Trophy Tour' Campaign in the presence of prominent hockey players of the country.

▪️ India’s Nishad Kumar clinches silver in Men’s High Jump event at Para Athletics World Championships.

▪️ Yashasvi Jaiswal has become the third Indian opener to smash a hundred in his first-ever Test innings. 215 deliveries in India's first innings against West Indies in the ongoing Dominica Test. 

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❁ Know about Arunachal Pradesh

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1. Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in May and is staying with her partner in Noida, was picked up Tuesday by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad and questioned for over nine hours, a second day of quizzing by the agency.

2. Tamilnadu Higher Education Minister Dr. K.Ponmudy has been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in Chennai. 

3. Maharashtra Government informed the state assembly that detention centers would be set up for foreign nationals indulging in drug peddling, overstaying their visa limit, and committing petty crimes to evade deportation. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. 

4. Over 1.40 Lakh kg of narcotics worth Rs 2,378 crore destroyed in different parts of the country. 

5. A Delhi court on Tuesday granted two-day interim bail to outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the women wrestlers’ sexual harassment case.

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