Dholavira the Harappan city which is located in the Kutch district of Gujarat has been named as the 40th Indian site inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list.  Dholavira is the first Indus Valley Civilisation site in India that has been included in the list.

About:

• The decision to induct this site in the covet list was taken at the 44^thUNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Fuzhou, China.
• On 25^thJuly, another Indian site, the Ramappa Temple in Telangana, was added to the list.
• After Rani ki Vav, the walled city area of Ahmedabad and Champaner, Dholavira becomes the fourth site from the state of Gujarat to be added to this list by UNESCO.
• Dholavira is one of South Asia’s most well-preserved urban settlements.

About Dholavira

This city was discovered in the year 1968, and it is located on the Khadir Island in Great Rann of Kutch (GRK) of Kutch district in the state of Gujarat. The city of Dholavira is spread over 22 hectares and it is Indus Valley Civilisation’s fifth largest archaeological site. This city dates back to approximately 3000 BC and it is believed that the city was occupied till 1500 BC. Its name is taken from the Dholavira village located on the Indo-Pakistan border. Locally this site is known as Kotda Timba (the fort mound).

This site is divided into three parts. They are the middle town, the citadel and the lower town. The citadel has detailed structures of fortification. Excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India on this site has revealed that the city houses were constructed using lime stones and all of them were connected to a sewage network. Tanks to store fresh or rainwater has also been found. Copper smelter remains have been found but there no mortal human remains recovered from this site. During excavation ornamental beads, Red earthenware and microlithic tools were also found.

Delhi youngster Vantika Agarwal has won the National women online chess title. From 11 rounds she scored 9.5 points.

About:

• With 9 points Arpita Mukherjee of West Bengal took the second spot.
• Tamil Nadu’s Sreeja Seshadri with 8.5 points took the third spot in this competition.
• Maharastra’s Soumya Swaminathan and Tamil Nadu’s R Vaishali of finished fourth and fifth respectively.
• This tournament saw past champions Bhakti Kulkarni, Tania Sachdev, and Padmini Rout as well as seasoned names like Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes and Esha Karavade but it was the youngster Vantika Agarwal who surprised everybody and came out on top.

Junior Open Section

In Junior Open section, Tamil Nadu’s VS Raahul won the first position with 9.5 point. International Master Bharath Subrahamaniam finished second with 9 points and Grandmaster P Iniyan who had recently represented the country at the World Cup finished third.

Conclusion

Due to the pandemic over-the-board events were not held and the All India Chess Federation has decided that they consider this online event’s performance for the selection of players who will represent India in the Asian individual championship and other various events.

BJP leader Basavaraj S Bommai has been selected as the 23rd chief minister of Karnataka and will take his oath on 28^th July, 2021.

About:

• Basavaraj Bommai was selected by the BJP as BS Yediyurappa’s successor who had resigned from the post on Monday.
• Basavaraj Bommai met ex-chief minister BS Yediyurappa as well as central observer of BJP Dharmendra Pradhan in Bengaluru before taking his oath.
• Basavaraj Bommai was BS Yediyurappa’s home minister and was among the top contenders for post of the state’s chief minister.
• During the legislature meeting of BJP, BS Yediyurappa proposed Bommai’s name for the post and it was seconded by Karjol Ashok Eshwarappa and all the other BJP MLAs.
• BJP has planned on having three deputy chief ministers in Karnataka’s new government. Govind Karjol, R Ashoka and Sriramalu are the ones who will most likely be appointed.
• Karnataka so far had 22 Chief Ministers but only three of them were able to complete their full term.

About Basavaraj Bommai

In the year 2008, Basavaraj Bommai joined the BJP and since then he has rose in the ranks of the party. Previously, he had held the water resources portfolio. By profession, he is an engineer and with the Tata Group he had started his career. From Shiggaon located in the Haveri district of Karnataka, he is a two-time MLC and three-time MLA.

The first-ever resolution on vision has been approved the United Nations general assembly. The UN called upon its 193 member countries so that they ensure access to eye care for each of their individual citizens. Following this resolution will contribute towards the global effort of helping about 1.1 billion people who are suffering from vision impairment and lack eye services by the year 2030.

About:

• The resolution named “Vision for Everyone” has been sponsored by Antigua, Bangladesh and Ireland, and co-sponsored by more than 100 countries.
• Under this resolution UN has asked the member countries to institute a government approach towards eye care.
• UN has also called upon donors and financial institutions to provide financing for developing countries so that they can address the impact of loss of vision on social and economic development.
• The resolution states that global eye care needs are going to increase substantially as by the year 2050 half of the global population is expected to be suffering from vision impairment.
• More than 90% of the 1.1 billion people globally who are suffering from loss of vision live in low or middle income group of countries.
• 55% of all blind people are girls and women.
• Better access to services related to eye care can increase the per capita household spending by around 88%.
• Better access to eye care related service is essential to achieve the goals of UN for the year 2030 of ending hunger and poverty, ensuring quality education and healthy living and reducing inequality.

Who introduced the resolution?

UN Ambassador of Bangladesh, Rabab Fatima, introduced this resolution, calling this resolution to be long-overdue of the recognition of the pivotal role that healthy vision plays in human life and helps in sustainable development.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has announced of the launch of a new company that will be solely focused on software developing for robots. The company has been named Intrinsic.

About:

• Intrinsic, the new robotic firm has been announced after years of work within “X”, the subsidiary of Alphabet which mainly functions as an incubator for all entrepreneurial and innovative ideas by putting together talents from the tech industry.
• Wing, Waymo, Google Watch and Google Glass are some other companies that came out of X
• Wendy Tan White has been appointed as the CEO of Intrinsic.
• The company has been testing software’s in real-time mechanics that uses various techniques like deep learning, automated perception, motion planning, reinforcement learning, force control and simulation.
• Intrinsic’s blog post doesn’t mention about the current workings of the company but it did list a range of industries that Intrinsic is looking into entering such as electronics, automotive and health care industries

Kandla Special Economic Zone(KASEZ) has become the first Green SEZ after it received the IGBC Green Cities Platinum Rating for Existing Cities.

About Kandla Special Economic Zone(KASEZ) as First Green SEZ:

• Kandla has become the first green industrial cityin India. It has received a platinum rating after a rigorous audit and inspections conducted by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
• This has been possible becauseKASEZ has managed to grow 68 species of trees and attract 28 varieties of birds on a piece of land that was once a salt pan with almost no vegetation.

Initiatives taken by Kandla SEZ to become First Green SEZ:

• Firstly, Kandla has halted the growth of salt pan beyond Kandla. This was done by planting trees, which helped reduce salinity and improved the quality of topsoil.
• Secondly, it has built water harvesting systems. Due to this, the water became less saline and the growth of the trees improved.
• Thirdly, KASEZ is a hub of the used clothing recycling industry. There is a lot of cloth waste which is generated by this industry. The industry was finding it difficult to dispose of them in landfill sites. So, they took this cloth waste and used it for mulching during tree plantation.
  • Mulching is the process of covering the open surface of the ground by a layer of some external material.
• Lastly, KASEZ also used plastic waste to line the artificial water bodies created inside the area to prevent water seepage and mix with the saline water.

Legendary badminton player of India, Nandu Natekar passed away on July 28, 2021, at the age of 88. He was the first Indian to win an International Title in 1956.

Nandu Natekar: Achievements of former World No. 3

• In a career spanning 15 years, Nandu Natekar won over 100 National and International titles for India.
• Nandu Natekar, in his famed career, had made it to the quarter-finals of the prestigious All England Championships in 1954.
• He won the men’s singles championship in the Selangor International Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 1956. Natekar’s victory was also the first international victory by an Indian Badminton player.
• Nandu Natekar won the Men’s Double National Championship a total of 6 times, the Men’s Singles Championship a total of 6 times, and the Mixed Doubles National Championship a total of 5 times.
• Nandu Natekar recorded 12 wins out of 16 singles matches and 8 out of 16 in Doubles as part of the Indian Team at the Thomas Cup between 1951 and 1963.
• He also had the distinction of leading India in the tournament in 1959, 1961, and 1963.
• Natekar had also represented India at the 1956 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

Recipient of first Arjuna Award:

• Nandu Natekar was the recipient of the first Arjuna Award which was instituted in 1961 for outstanding performance in sports and games.
• He was also voted the most popular sportsperson of India in 1961.

Every year on July 28, World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is observed to raise awareness about viral hepatitis.

As per World Health Organization (WHO), viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause severe liver disease and hepatocellular cancer. Every 30 seconds, a person dies due to hepatitis illness, added WHO.

On World Hepatitis Day 2021, WHO will host a Global Talk Show to provide a platform for global, national, and regional leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders for discussing action plans to eliminate hepatitis by 2030

World Hepatitis Day 2021: Theme

‘Hepatitis can’t wait’ is the theme of World Hepatitis Day 2021.

• This year, the theme ‘Hepatitis can’t wait’aims at highlighting the urgent efforts required to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
• As per WHO, with a person dying every 30 seconds due to a hepatitis-related illness, even with the on-going COVID-19 crisis, we cannot wait to act to eliminate hepatitis

WHY IN THE NEWS?

13 years old Japanese skateboarder Momiji Nishiya won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She became one of the youngest gold medalists ever at the Olympic Games.

About:

• Nishiya won the gold on 26th July 2021 in the women’s street competition which debuted for the first time in Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
• Yuto Horigome of Japan won the men’s competition on 25th July 2021. This makes Japan the gold medal holder in both categories.
• Nishiya landed her tricks perfectly to beat out Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, also just 13 years of age.
• Over 50% of the women participating in the final competition were in their teens.
• Funa Nakayama of Japan, who clinched the bronze medal, is 16 years of age.
• Both Leal and Nishiya are the youngest ever medalists for their respective countries of Brazil and Japan.

Who is the youngest gold medalist?

Marjorie Gestring, of the USA, is the youngest gold medal winner of the Olympics. At the 1936 Berlin Games, she dominated the women’s diving competition. During that time she was only 13 years and 268 days old.

Conclusion

The participants told that they wish to see even more participants in the women’s category in the future Olympic Games

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) project has been accorded an extension for five years, until 2026 and enters its second phase with added features.

About:

• I-STEM is a National Web portal for sharing R&D (Research and Development) facilities.
• The portal facilitates researchers to access slots for the use of equipment, as well as to share the details of the outcomes, such as patents, publications and technologies.

Launch:

• Launched in January 2020. It is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under the aegis of Prime Minister Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) mission.
  • PM-STIAC: It is an overarching Council that facilitates the Principal Scientific Adviser’s Office to assess the status in specific science and technology domains, comprehend challenges at hand, formulate specific interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly.

Goal:

• The goal of I-STEM is to strengthen the R&D ecosystem of the country by connecting researchers with resources.
• Promoting technologies and scientific equipment development indigenously, and providing necessary supplies and support to researchers by enabling them access to existing publicly funded R&D facilities in the country through the I-STEM web portal.

Phase-II:

• The portal will host indigenous technology products listed through a digital catalogue. It will also host and provide access to selected R&D (Research and Development) software required to undertake research projects by students and scientists.
• The portal will also provide a platform for the various City Knowledge and Innovation Clusters to enhance effective use of R&D infrastructure through leveraging collaboration and partnership built on a shared STI (Science Technology and Innovation) ecosystem.
• New phase will be designed as a dynamic digital platform that will provide a boost to research and innovation especially for 2 tier and 3 tier cities and also for the emerging start-up ecosystem.