• Tamil Nadu replaced Bihar and West Bengal to become the largest state in terms of outstanding portfolio of microfinance loans.
• According to MFIN Micrometer Q4 FY21-22, a quarterly report published by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), the gross loan portfolio (GLP) of Tamil Nadu as of March 31, 2022 stood at ₹36,806 crore.
• It was followed by Bihar (₹35,941 crore) and West Bengal (₹34,016 crore).
• At the end of Q3FY22, West Bengal topped the chart with the highest outstanding portfolio of loans at ₹32,880 crore, followed by Tamil Nadu (₹32,359 crore).
• The Top 10 States (based on total microcredit universe) constitute 82.4 per cent of total GLP of the industry. West Bengal was followed by Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• According to the report, around 64 per cent of the microfinance portfolio is concentrated in the East, Northeast, and Southern regions.

• ‘Single-Use Plastic’ use to be outflow from July 1st, 2022 by the Union government. Single-use plastics, particularly those made of polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, will be illegal to produce, import, stock, distribute, sell, and use starting on July 1, 2022, nationwide.
• A national task group has also been established by the Environment Ministry to make coordinated efforts in this area.

Key Points:

• According to a response submitted by Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey in Parliament, fourteen states and UTs have joined the special task force by July 23.
• The Delhi Environment Department will also launch a campaign on July 1 to guarantee compliance with the ban on 19 single-use plastics in the national capital, and any producers, suppliers, stockists, dealers, or sellers found in violation of the restrictions would be shut down.
• According to the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, the manufacturing, importation, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of certain single-use plastic (SUP) goods, such as candy sticks, plates, cups, and cutlery, have been outlawed as of July 1, 2022.

About the “Balika Panchayat”:

• “Balika Panchayat” is managed by people in the 11-21 age group and its main objective is to promote the social and political development of the girl child and to remove the evil practices from the society such as child marriage, and the dowry system.
• The main objective of panchayat is that the girls should move forward in politics. In Balika panchayat, the member is nominated just like Gram panchayat.

KEY POINTS:

• The country’s first-ever, ‘Balika Panchayat’, has started in five villages of Gujarat’s Kutch district.
• The initiative aims to promote the social and political development of the girls and ensure their active participation in politics.
• The Panchayat has started in Kunaria, Maska, Motagua, and Vadsar villages of the Kutch district.
• This initiative has been taken by the Women and Child Development Welfare Department of the Gujarat Government under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. 
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is also planning to begin the girl panchayat across the country.

• The largest freshwater fish ever recorded was captured in Cambodia’s stretch of the Mekong River.
• A giant freshwater stingray measuring 4 meters (13 feet) from snout to tail and weighing 300 kilograms (661 pounds).
• The discovery occurred in a stretch of the Mekong known for its diversity of freshwater habitats that support crucial fish-spawning grounds and migration corridors and provide refuges for other mega fish species and threatened species, such as Irrawaddy dolphins and giant softshell turtles.
• It is categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List.

• According to the state-run news agency, a powerful earthquake struck a rural, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, killing 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more in one of the deadliest quakes in decades reported.
• According to the Pakistan’s Meteorological Department the quake’s epicentre was in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, some 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost.
• According to Experts, the depth was at just 10 km that could have led to severe destruction.
• According to a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey that death toll depends on type of geography, building quality and population density.
• According to the European seismological agency, EMSC, the earthquake’s tremors were felt over 500 kilometres by 119 million people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

• Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister, dedicated development works of over Rs 63 crores at National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur.
• He inaugurated a computer centre established at cost of Rs 47.11 crore and e-classroom built at cost of Rs. 16.62 crore.
• Apart from regular courses institute did its best in discharging social responsibility by disseminating technical and digital knowledge for the society.
• The institute had also incubated a number of start-ups that helped youth for entrepreneurship.

• The religiously significant and one of the most difficult pilgrimages Shrikhand Yatra to the18,570 feet Shrikhand Mahadev peak in Anni of Kullu district will be organised from July 11 to 24.
• Devotees reach Shrikhand by trekking about 25 km. The trek takes around 3 to 5 days starting from Jaon in Nirmand.
• Five base camps would be set up during the journey in which facilities of registration, medical check-up, information related to the yatra, rescue teams, emergency equipment, medicines, etc, would be available.
• Many pilgrims have lost their lives in the past while undertaking the strenuous trek.

• Indian Men’s football team captain, Sunil Chhetri scored his 84th International goal against Hong Kong during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers and equalled the record of Real Madrid and Hungarian Football Legend Ferenc Puskás.
• Sunil Chhetri has scored 84 goals in 129 appearances while Ferenc Puskás (died in 2006 aged 79) scored 84 goals in 85 international matches.
• Sunil Chhetri is the 3rd highest goal scorer in international football among active players, after Cristiano Ronaldo with 117 goals and Lionel Messi with 86 goals.
• He is also the highest active goal scorer from Asia and India.

Top 5 International Goal Scorer:

• Cristiano Ronaldo with 117 goals
• Iran’s Ali Daei managed 109 goals.
• Malaysia’s Mokhtar Dahari netted 89 goals.
• Lionel Messi with 86 goals.
• Sunil Chhetri and Ferenc Puskás with 84 goals.

• According to a World Gold Council (WGC) report, India has emerged as the fourth largest recycler in the world and the country has recycled 75 tonnes in 2021.
• According to the WGC report titled ‘Gold refining and recycling’, China topped the global gold recycling chart as it recycled 168 tonnes of the yellow metal, followed by Italy in the second position with 80 tonnes and the US at the third rank with 78 tonnes in 2021.
• India was ranked fourth in the list as the country recycled 75 tonnes in 2021.
• According to the WGC report titled ‘Gold refining and recycling’ from 300 tonnes in 2013, India’s gold refining capacity increased by 1,500 tonnes (500 per cent) in 2021.
• The report further noted that the gold refining landscape in the country has changed over the last decade, with the number of formal operations increasing from less than five in 2013 to 33 in 2021.

• Senior diplomat Ruchira Kamboj appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
• Kamboj, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is presently serving as India’s envoy to Bhutan.
• She will succeed T S Tirumurti as the Indian ambassador to the UN.