Daily Current Affairs- 2 July 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 2nd July 2024

NATIONAL

Air India to Set Up South Asia’s Largest Flight Training School in Amravati

• Air India will set up South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organization (FTO) at Amravati in the Vidarbha area. This FTO will strengthen the available pilot training capacity in India, The flying school will be operational by mid 2026 and 180 commercial pilots will pass out every year. 

SPORTS

Mercedes driver George Russell wins 2024 Austrian GP

• On 30 June 2024 Mercedes George Russell’ a British driver won the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix (GP) officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Austrian Grand Prix 2024, at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg – Austria. 

SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY

SERA and Blue Origin announce India as Partner Nation for Human Spaceflight Program

• In a bid to democratise space, US-based Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) in collaboration with Jeff Bezos’ space tech firm Blue Origin has announced India as a partner nation in their human spaceflight programme.
• SERA will offer citizens from India a seat on Blue Origin’s future mission of reusable rocket New Shepard on an 11-minute journey past the Karman line (100 km), the globally accepted threshold between the earth’s atmosphere and outer space. 

OBITURY

Bhupinder Singh Rawat, former Indian footballer passes away at 85

• The All India Football Federation condoled the death of former India winger Bhupinder Singh Rawat, who passed away in Surat, Gujarat, on Saturday, June 29, 2024, after a brief illness. He was 85. Rawat is survived by his wife, one son and one daughter.
• A speedy winger of the 1960s and 1970s, Rawat played for India in the 1969 Merdeka tournament in Malaysia. Domestically, he played for Delhi Garrison, Gorkha Brigade and Mafatlal. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Ravi Agrawal appointed new CBDT chief, to succeed Nitin Gupta

• Ravi Agrawal, a 1988-batch IRS officer, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the administrative body for the Income Tax Department.
• He takes over from Nitin Gupta, a 1986-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, whose extended tenure as the chairman ends on Sunday, June 30.
• Gupta was appointed as the CBDT chief in June, 2022. He was scheduled to retire in September last year but was given a nine-month extension till June, The new CBDT chief is currently working as member (administration) in the board. 

Sujata Saunik Becomes Maharashtra's First Woman Chief Secretary

• Senior IAS officer Sujata Saunik took over as Maharashtra's Chief Secretary, becoming the first woman in the state's 64-year-old history to occupy the top post.
• Sujata Saunik, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, succeeds Nitin Kareer who retired as the chief secretary on Sunday. She will have a year's tenure before retiring in June next year. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Sports Journalist Day

• World Sports Journalist Day is celebrated worldwide on July 2nd each year. Sports holds great significance in the overall growth of individuals, serving as both a recreational pursuit and a potential career path.
• World Sports Journalist Day was instituted in 1994 by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) to mark the establishment of AIPS as an organization on July 2nd, coinciding with the Summer Olympics in Paris. Since its inception, this day has been dedicated to recognizing the contributions and achievements of countless sports media professionals. 

SUMMITS & MOUs

Gujarat govt signes MoU with IBM to establish AI cluster in GIFT city

• The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the technology company IBM to establish and promote an AI Cluster leveraging IBM's Watson to foster innovation and collaboration among financial institutions in Gujarat International Finance Tec GIFT City. 

BANKING AND ECONOMY

RBI and ASEAN countries to create platform for instantaneous cross-border payments

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is joining Project Nexus, a multilateral initiative led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to join forces with ASEAN countries to facilitate instantaneous cross-border retail payments. This collaborative effort aims to interlink the Fast Payment Systems (FPS) of India and four ASEAN nations, creating a multilateral platform that will revolutionise cross-border transactions. 

SBI Launches MSME Sahaj: 15-Minute Online Loan Solution

• State Bank of India (SBI) has unveiled a web-based digital business loans solution for MSMEs' Invoice Financing, aimed at facilitating MSME loans with a fast turn-around-time.
• The solution, named "MSME Sahaj - End to End Digital Invoice Financing", has been developed that will provide solutions ranging from applying the loan, documentation and disbursement of the sanctioned loan within 15 minutes, without any manual intervention.