Jharkhand
- Ramgarh becomes first open defecation free district of Jharkhand
- Ramgarh became the first district in Jharkhandto become open defecation free (ODF).
- The target was achieved with the completion of construction of 77,701 toilets in 2016/17
- Reviewing the Swachh Bharat Mission with all district deputy commissioners through video conferencing, chief secretary Rajbala Verma directed that every district should be ODF by 2019 and to achieve the objective, strategies should be drawn, the release said.
- Twelve more districts have been selected as target districts to make them ODF, the release said.
INTERNATIONAL
- US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weapons System
- United States Navy successfully tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS). In the test, the LaWS deployed aboard the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship was able to destroy a drone in flight and moving targets on the Persian Gulf. USS Ponce is first ship in the world to be deployed with such advanced weapons system
LaWS operates within an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is absolutely silent and incredibly effective.
- Nelson Mandela International Day – 18 July
- Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) is celebrated every year on 18th July to honour the former Nobel Prize winner.
- The day is commemorated with the slogan Take Action! Inspire Change.
- The United Nations officially declared this day in November 2009. Mandela was former President of South Africa.
- Nelson Mandela was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1990 for his role in the anti-apartheid movement. Apart from Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, he is the only non-Indian to have received the award.
NATIONAL
- National Democratic Alliance Vice President nominee Venkaiah Naidu resigns his Union Minister Post
- Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu resigned his Union Minister post for his party choosing him as a candidate for the Vice Presidential Election.
- He was holding two portfolios of Information and Broadcasting, and Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Smriti Irani gets Information and Broadcasting ministry and Narendra Singh Tomar gets Urban Development
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi handed over the Information and Broadcasting portfolio to Smt.Smriti Irani.
- The Urban Development Ministry given to Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.
- This announcement came after BJP leader Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, who is the Government’s nominee for the position of Vice-President, resigned from his ministerial responsibilities.
- J&K bags best award in adventure tourism destination
- The J&K Tourism Department has received the award in the category of ‘Best Adventure Tourism Destination and Eco-Tourism Destination’ at a 3-Day event organized by Indian International Travel Mart, Chennai.
- Kolkata to host global business meet in November
- The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal Government, will host Horasis Asia Meeting, a Global Business meeting, in the city in November.
The two-day business meet, starting November 26, will focus on sustainable business practices in various areas, including power and energy.
- SBI launches ‘SBI Realty’ portal for home buyers
- India’s largest commercial bank State Bank of India (SBI) launched SBI Realty, a dedicated portal that will help home buyers to choose flats from its 3,000 approved projects across the country. SBI Realty will be a one stop integrated website for home buyers. It will help customers to choose their dream home from 3,000 SBI approved projects, which are spread across 13 states/UTs covering 30 cities.
Using the portal, customers can compare current and past trends of prices for properties in various localities in the city. It will also assist customers in calculating appropriate loan amount a customer should borrow based on income and credit profile.