Current Context: From June 27, 2025, India banned jute and allied imports from Bangladesh via all land ports and most seaports—allowed only through Mumbai’s Nhava‐Sheva port.

 DETAILS

• Covered Items: Flax & jute yarn/fibre, woven and unbleached jute fabrics.
• Geographic Scope: Ban includes all India‑Bangladesh land crossings; seaport entry allowed only via Nhava‑Sheva. Exemptions exist for goods transiting via Nepal/Bhutan.
• Reason: To curb dumping/subsidised imports harming Indian jute mills and farmers; reverse rising import trends despite earlier duties.
• Impact Zones: West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya—affecting local mills and farmers.

Current Context: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the National Turmeric Board’s headquarters in Nizamabad, Telangana for fulfilling long-standing demands of turmeric farmers.

ABOUT TURMERIC BOARD (NATIONAL):

• Location: Nizamabad, Telangana—the turmeric capital of India .
• Established under: Ministry of Commerce & Industry; notified Oct 2023 and launched Jan 2025.
• Funding: ₹200 crore allocated for quality improvement, R&D, packaging, and farmer income enhancement.
• Export Target: Achieve US $1 billion in turmeric exports by 2030.
• Mandate: Improve farmer prices, branding, global marketing, and strengthen export infrastructure.
• Impact for Farmers:
• Supports packaging & branding chains
• Reduces middleman dependency
• Promotes GI-tagged and organic turmeric
• Statistics: In 2023–24, turmeric cultivated over 300,000 ha yielding ~1.07 million tonnes; India produces ~75% of global output and 62% of world trade .

Current Context: Radhanath Swami, a senior spiritual leader of ISKCON, was honoured by the New York City administration at a special interfaith event for his decades of service in promoting spirituality, community leadership, and interfaith harmony.

Who is Radhanath Swami?

• Born Richard Slavin in Chicago, USA (1950).
• Joined the Hare Krishna movement in the 1970s after a spiritual journey to India.
• Took sannyasa (monastic vows) in 1982 and became a key ISKCON spiritual leader.
• Known for social outreach, interfaith work, and Bhakti Yoga teachings

Why the Honour Was Given

• For promoting peaceful coexistence through interfaith efforts.
• For leading community service projects and mentoring youth in spiritual and value-based living.
• For advancing Indian spiritual traditions in the Western world, especially in multicultural settings like NYC.

Current Context: Italian luxury brand Prada, at Milan Fashion Week, featured sandals resembling traditional Indian GI‑tagged Kolhapuri chappals without credit. Facing public outrage, Prada officially acknowledged the design inspiration and is now engaging with Maharashtra artisans .

ABOUT KOLHAPURI CHAPPALS

Origin & Heritage: Handcrafted in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, since the 13th century; protected under GI tag (2019).

• Design: Open-toe leather sandals with T‑strap designs, vegetable-tanned using cow, buffalo, or goat leather.
• Craftsmanship: Made over ~6 weeks; durable, molds to feet, sustainable long-term.
• Economics: Sold in India for ₹300–₹1,500; Prada priced its versions $844.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Symbol of Indian cultural identity and artisan heritage.
• Sparks debate on intellectual property rights and recognition of traditional crafts at global platforms.

Current Context: GoIStats mobile app was launched on Statistics Day 29 June 2025 by MoSPI’s NSO to provide mobile access to official statistics

 ABOUT GoIStats APP

• Developer: National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
• Features:
• “Key Trends” dashboard with GDP, inflation, employment visuals
• Downloadable CSV data and official publications
• Advanced filtering, metadata detail, infographic storytelling
• Availability: Android version live; iOS coming soon
• Significance: Enhances data transparency, supports a “Viksit Bharat” data‑driven governance model.

Current Context: CBSE opened applications on the National Scholarship Portal for CSSS 2025–26 in late June 2025.

ABOUT CSSS (PM‑USP)

• Objective: Provide ₹12,000–₹20,000/year scholarships to meritorious students from low-income families pursuing UG/PG/professional courses.
• Coverage: Up to 82,000 fresh awards yearly — equally for boys and girls.
• Amounts:
• ₹12,000/year for UG (years 1–3)
• ₹20,000/year for PG (years 1–2) & professional courses (4th–5th year
• Eligibility: Based on Class 12 board results and parental income ≤ ₹4.5 lakhs/year
• Application Timeline: Opened 2 Jun, closes 31 Oct 2025; renewals follow attendance ≥ 75% and ≥ 50% marks.

India observes National Doctor’s Day on 1 July.

• Aim : To honour its doctors’ dedication.
• Theme : “Behind the Mask: Who Heals the Healers?”
• Date & Legacy: Observed on 1 July since 1991, marking the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882–1962), India’s eminent physician, freedom fighter, Bengal CM, and Bharat Ratna awardee.

Celebrated on 1 July.

• Aim : To mark the foundation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in 1949.
• Origins: The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 was enacted on 1 May, effective 1 July 1949, establishing ICAI.
• Institute: ICAI is India’s statutory body regulating chartered accountants; one of the largest accounting bodies globally (~3.5 lakh members).
• Roles of CA: Specialists in auditing, taxation, financial planning, and compliance—critical to India’s economic integrity.

Observed on 1 July

• Aim : To honour men and women who deliver mail and parcels daily.
• Origin: Launched in 1997 by Richard E. Baker to appreciate postal workers’ dedication.
• Purpose: To highlight the hard work of postal workers—often facing extreme weather, physical strain—and boost their morale.

Current Context: UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone for a ₹1,000 crore “Green Data Centre” in Sahibabad, Ghaziabad – a 30 MW Tier-III facility built by Central Electronics Ltd in partnership with ESDS.

ABOUT THE GREEN DATA CENTRE

• Public–Private Partnership between CEL (Mini-Ratna PSU under CSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology) and ESDS.
• Designed to Tier-III standards: 200 high-density racks per floor, dual 10 Gbps links, sustainable features (rainwater harvesting, smart cooling, reflective roofing).
• Emphasises renewables: aligns with UP target of 20,000 MW renewable generation by 2027; first green data centre in Uttar Pradesh.

What Is a Green Data Centre?

• A Green Data Centre is a data facility designed with energy-efficient technologies and environment-friendly practicesto minimize environmental impact while maintaining high performance and reliability.

Key features include:

• Efficient construction: optimized airflow, use of sustainable materials, and green building design.
• Advanced cooling systems: free-air, liquid immersion, hot/cold aisle containment.
• Renewable energy: solar, wind, hydro; onsite or through green energy procurement.
• Heat reuse: capturing and reusing waste heat for heating or other purposes.
• Virtualization & hardware efficiency: reduce physical servers to save power