• The blanket prohibition on single-use plastic has benefited locals, particularly women in villages of Himachal Pradesh’s hill state. These people are active in producing traditional leaf plates and bowls, as consumption of these sustainable and environment-friendly products has suddenly increased after the ban.
• The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is encouraging community groups to prepare leaf plates and bowls using machines rather than by hand.
• As per government order of 1st of July, 2022, a ban on single-use plastic items has been in effect.
• By planting specific species like “Bauhinia vahlii” in the forest next to the villages of skilled community groups, the department is ensuring that there is no shortage in the supply of high-quality leaves. This is ensured by the “Improvement of Himachal Pradesh Forest Ecosystems Management and Livelihoods” project.
• Each community group, consisting on average of 15 individuals, will receive a capital cost of about Rs1,29,000 to set up the plate-making machine, which produces 1,000 plates each day. The introduction of machines has increased manufacturing capacity while lessening the laboriousness of women who make these leaf products manually.
• Nagesh Guleria, Additional Principal Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director, JICA project, told that “in June of this year, the community groups at Beindhar and Kangu villages in Mandi district produced 8,000 leaf plates and 4,000 leaf bowls and earned 38,000 rupees in one month. As opposed to an average of 8,000 rupees, which is what a group of similar numbers of people used to earn monthly. We have created about 484 of these self-help groups this far.”
• According to Guleria, several local leaf-bowl makers had to eventually give up their long-standing enterprises of producing leaf plates and associated things because of the invasion of factory-made plastic plates and bowls due to their low cost and long shelf life. “Families continued to fulfill orders because they had no other choice and managed to endure the so-called plastic boom, which has turned into a significant environmental and health issue but now they are turning back to their roots and traditional work”.

• Parliament has passed the Weapon of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill 2022 with the Rajya Sabha approving it today amid the din.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.
• The 2005 Act prohibits unlawful activities such as manufacturing, transport or transfer related to weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
• Weapons of mass destruction are biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
• The Bill bars persons from financing any prohibited activity related to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
• The Parliament has passed the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022.
• The Bill was passed by the Upper House negating the amendments moved by Left MPs. The Lok Sabha has already cleared the Bill.
• The Bill seeks to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. It also seeks to protect the Antarctic environment and regulate activities in the region.
• Speaking on the Bill, Union Earth Science Minister Dr. Jitender Singh said, Antarctica is a very unique land and India has four treaties in place. He said, India has two establishments there, one is Maitri and second is Bharati.

• President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.
• He was received by Union Minister Dr Sanjeev Balyan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with Mr Solih.
• Several agreements are expected to be signed after the talks. Mr Solih is also scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar called on the Maldivian President.
• In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said India’s Neighbourhood First and Maldives’ India First policies are complementary. He added that these policies take the special partnership between India and Maldives forward.

• The Military govt of Myanmar has extended the state of emergency by 6 months till February 2023.
• Head of the military government General Min Aung Hlaing said that elections could be held only when the country was ‘stable and peaceful’. General Hlaing requested the National Defence and Security Council to ‘allow him to serve for an additional 6 months’, which was approved by the acting president Myint Swe.
• The state of emergency in Myanmar was first declared in February 2021.
• General Hlaing said that the Union Election Commission will be reconstituted and its mandated tasks, including the scrutiny of voter lists, shall be implemented in accordance with the law.
• The Election Commission has organised four meetings with the political parties during the last 18 months for the review of the Election Law and election system.
• The military deposed the elected government headed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi February last year, immediately after the national elections in which Suu Kyi’s party National League for Democracy (NLD) won a massive majority.
• Accusing Aung San Suu kyi of mismanagement and fraud in the elections, the military government had promised to hold elections within a year.
• However, it later extended the time for lifting the emergency. In his broadcast, head of the military government Gen. Hlaing did not give any specific date for holding elections.

• Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy has said that on the occasion of the birth centenary celebrations of the designer of the national flag, Pingali Venkaiah, a large-scale program will be organized in Delhi on August 2.
• Kishan Reddy said the original flag designed by Pingali will be displayed on that day. He said he will visit the hometown of Pingali Venkaiah and invite family members on behalf of the Prime Minister for the centenary celebrations to be held in New Delhi.
• He said a postage stamp will also be released in the name of Pingali.

• The NHPC’s Regional Office at Banikhet signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Yog Manav Vikas Trust, an NGO, to provide vocational training to rural youths under its CSR initiative.
• NHPC Regional Office DGM US Chhetri and Vikas trust chairperson Kiran Dodeja signed the MoU.
• Vocational training would be provided to around 150 rural youths and the NHPC had allocated Rs 10.96 lakh for the purpose.
• Under the programme, vocational training would be imparted in the courses of cutting and tailoring, beauty culture, certificate in computer application and yoga sciences to rural youths. These courses would start on August 1 and would be completed in 12 months. Vocational training to rural youths would improve their livelihood and also empower them.

• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched state-level programme ‘Pragatisheel Himachal: Sthapna Ke 75 Varsh’ at Chawgan ground. The event will celebrate 75 years of formation of Himachal Pradesh.
• Tracing the progress of the state, he said the per capita income of the state grew from Rs 240 to Rs 2,01,873 from 1948 to 2022 while the GSDP surged from Rs 27 crore to Rs 1,75,173 crore, in the same period.
• He said the literacy rate of the state had grown to 83% in 2022 from 4.8% in 1948. The agricultural production had increased from 954 MT to 1,500 MT and foodgrain output from 1.99 lakh MT to 15.14 lakh MT in the period.
• There were only 228 km road network at the time of Himachal’s formation and today the state had over 39,354 km of roads.
• The CM said international status will be granted to Minjar fair.
• Earlier, he inaugurated an exhibition on the theme, ‘Himachal Tub Aur Ab’ put up by various departments, boards and corporations.
• A theme song on 75 years of existence of the state was also released on the occasion.
• A documentary based on 75 years of glorious history of Himachal produced by the Information and Public Relation Department was also screened.

• Weightlifter Achinta Sheuli lifts games record 313kg to win India’s third
• Sanket Mahadev Sargar – SILVER (Weightlifting, Men’s 55kg class)

• According to, a monthly survey, India’s manufacturing sector activity gained momentum in July, hitting an eight-month high driven by a significant uptick in business orders.
• The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose from 53.9 in June, to 56.4 in July, highlighting the strongest improvement in the health of the sector in eight months.
• The July PMI data pointed to an improvement in overall operating conditions for the 13th straight month. In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.
• According to Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, the Indian manufacturing industry recorded a welcome combination of faster economic growth and softening inflation during July.

• Recently, Assam CM announced that, some 22 lakh beneficiaries of the Orunodoi scheme in Assam will get ₹18 extra for August to buy a National Flag or two.
• The Assam government has been transferring ₹1,000 as monetary benefit to the bank accounts of economically weak women on the 10th of every month under the Orunodoi scheme.

ABOUT THE SCHEME:

• Orunodoi’ or Arunodoi Scheme is a scheme of the Government of Assam is launched on 2nd October 2020. Under ‘Orunodoi’, monetary benefits have been envisaged for more than 24 lac poor household in the state.
• The schematic benefit has been enhanced from 830/- to Rs. 1000/ Women. They will receive the amount on the first day of every month, starting from October 2020.
• Women being the primary caretakers of the family are kept as beneficiaries of the scheme. ‘Orunodoi’ scheme will provide Financial Assistance of Rs. 1000 per month through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme to around 19.10 Lakh Families in the state.