July 3'rd Week
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MPSC PRELIMS FOCUS JULY WEEK-3
1. National News
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1.1 India’s second longest cable-styled bridge in Karnataka’s Shivamogga
- The bridge across the Sharavathi backwaters between Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli in Sagara taluk has been built at a cost of Rs 472 crore.
- This bridge will reduce the distance from Sagara town to Sigandur where the famous Chowdeshwari temple is situated.
- The bridge has a 16-metre-wide deck, which includes an 11-metre carriageway and 1.5-metrewide footpaths on either side. The bridge between Sagara and Marakutika covers 2.44 kms
1.2 Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
- In a significant milestone for global healthcare innovation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical brief titled “Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine”, acknowledging India’s pioneering efforts in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with traditional medicine systems, particularly Ayush systems.
- The release follows India’s proposal on the subject, leading to the development of WHO’s first-ever roadmap for applying AI in traditional medicine and Tobago since 1999.
About Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL):
- It is an Indian initiative aimed at preserving and
digitising traditional knowledge while
promoting the responsible use of the country’s
indigenous medical heritage. - It uses Al-powered tools to catalogue and analyse
ancient texts, making them more accessible and
easier to understand. - TKDL was established in 2001 through a
collaboration between the Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ministry
of AYUSH.
1.3 Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the “Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana” in 2025 for a period of six years starting from the financial year 2025–26.
- The scheme aims to cover 100 districts across India.
- This scheme is inspired by NITI Aayog’s Aspirational District Programme and is the first of its kind to focus exclusively on agriculture andallied sectors.
• The main objectives of the scheme are to enhance agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification, adopt sustainable agricultural practices, improve post-harvest storage infrastructure at the panchayat and block levels,
expand irrigation facilities, and ensure the availability of both short-term and long-term agricultural credit.
• The 100 districts will be selected based on three main criteria: low agricultural productivity, low cropping intensity, and limited credit disbursement.
• NITI Aayog will review and guide district plans, while Central Nodal Officers will be assigned to each district for regular monitoring and support of the scheme’s implementation.
1.4 Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns
- Under Article 67 of the Constitution, which deals with the term of office of the Vice President, the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh will manage the day-to-day affairs until a new Vice President is elected.
- On the other hand, Article 67(a) says that before the expiry of his term, the Vice President may resign by submitting his resignation to the President in writing.
- He is India’s sixth Vice President to resign after VV Giri, R Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan, and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. While the first four stepped down ahead of becoming the President, Shekhawat resigned after losing the presidential election.
- Dhankhar will also go down in history as the only vice president against whom the oppositionbrought a notice of removal for “partisan” conduct as the chairman of the Upper House.
About Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar:
- Birth: Born 18 May 1951 in Kithana village, Jhunjhunu district, Rajasthan, to Gokal Chand and Kesari Devi.
- Law Degree: Completed LLB in 1978–79 from the University of Rajasthan; enrolled as an advocate in the Rajasthan Bar Council in November 1979.
- Legal Career: Designated as a Senior Advocate by Rajasthan High Court in March 1990. Practiced extensively in the Supreme Court, representing cases in steel, coal, mining and international arbitration.
- Elected to Lok Sabha (9th) in 1989 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan on a Janata Dal ticket. Appointed Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.
- Contested on a Congress ticket and served as MLA from Kishangarh in the Rajasthan Assembly (1993–98).
- Post-1998, returned to full-time legal practice in the Supreme Court.
- Appointed Governor of West Bengal in July 2019 by the Central Government. (2019–2022)
- Vice President of India (2022–2025)
2. State News
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2.1 India’s first Digital Nomad Village
- Yakten, a village in Sikkim’s Pakyong district, was officially declared India’s first digital nomad village.
- A collaboration between the district administration and NGO Sarvahitey under the ‘Nomad Sikkim’ initiative, the project aims to transform strategic locations in the Himalayan State into year-round hubs for digital professionals
across India and abroad, while ensuring sustainable income opportunities for homestay owners. - Location: Himalayan village in Pakyong district, East Sikkim.
2.2 India’s First Ro-Ro Ferry Service
- On 14 July 2025, Goa inaugurated India’s first RollOn / Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) ferry service between Chorao Island and Ribandar across the Mandovi River.
- The two ferries named “Gangotri” and “Dwarka” were launched by Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, with key state leaders like River Navigation Minister Subhash Phal Desai present.
3. Maharashtra
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3.1 Tesla opens first India showroom at
Mumbai’s BKC
- The showroom was inaugurated on July 15, 2025, by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, with Deputy CM Eknath Shinde also actively endorsing the event—Shinde even drove the vehicle into Vidhan Bhavan
- This is a big step for Elon Musk’s company, as it takes its first formal step into one of the fastestgrowing EV markets in the world.
About Tesla:
- Headquarters of Tesla – Austin, Texas, USA
- Tesla CEO – Elon Musk
3.2 Maharashtra becomes 1st State in India to Grant Agricultural Status to Livestock & Poultry Farming
- The livestock farmers will now receive a maximum 4% interest subsidy on project loans taken through Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs), in accordance with the provisions like the Panjabrao Deshmukh Interest Subsidy.
- Also, Gram Panchayats (GPs) will now have the power/authority to levy agricultural tax rates on livestock and poultry farms, which will further reduce the local tax burdens on farmers.
- The animal husbandry sector contributes 24% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), twice the 12% share from the agriculture sector.
3.3 First campus of IICT Agricultural Status to Livestock & Poultry Farming
- Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis jointly inaugurated the first campus of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) at the NFDC Complex in Mumbai on 18 July 2025.
- IICT is India’s first national centre of excellence for the AVGC XR sector covering Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality.
4. Award
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4.1 2025 UN Population award*
- Indian women’s rights activist Varsha Deshpande has been awarded the 2025 United Nations Population Award in the individual category, in recognition of her decades-long work promoting gender equality and reproductive rights.
- The announcement was made by the United Nations in New York on Thursday (July 10, 2025),
marking the 40th edition of the prestigious global honour. - Deshpande became the third Indian to win the award after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1983) and industrialist philanthropist J.R.D. Tata (1992).
About Varsha Deshpand:
- Ms. Deshpande, secretary of the Maharashtrabased Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal, was recognised for her pioneering work over more than 35 years to combat gender-based violence and discrimination, particularly gender-biased sex selection.
About UN Population Award:
- The award was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1981, in resolution 36/201, and was 1st presented in 1983.
- Each year, the Committee for the UN Population Award honours individuals and institutions for contributions to reproductive health.
4.2 Kalinga Ratna Award
- The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, graced the birth anniversary celebrations of Adikabi Sarala Das and presented the Kalinga Ratna Award-2024 to Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, at Cuttack, Odisha, today (July 15, 2025).
- Organized by the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.
- Presented By: Sarala Sahitya Sansad, a literary organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the Odia language and culture.
- Instituted: Around 2007, awarded annually since then.
- Purpose: Honors remarkable achievements by Odisha natives or those promoting Odia heritage across various sectors like education, culture, public service, and literature.
4.3 ‘Swachh Survekshan’ awards*
- President Droupadi Murmu will present the ‘Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024-25’ on July 17, marking the 9th edition of the annual urban cleanliness survey.
Swachh Shehar (Population >10 lakh):
- Ahmedabad was declared the cleanest large city, followed by Bhopal and Lucknow.
- Lucknow earned the third position in this category, receiving a 7-star rating for efficient waste segregation and cleanup drives.
Other National & ULB Awards:
- Dewas (50k–3 lakh population) won the Five-Star Presidential award and a “Water Plus” certificate.
- In Jharkhand, Jamshedpur (3–10 lakh) and Bundu Nagar Panchayat received top honors.
- Chhattisgarh ULBs also featured, with Bilaspur’s Belha becoming the cleanest small town, and Raipur named a Promising Swachh City.
5. Defence
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5.1 India joins bilateral military exercise in
Australia
- India, along with 18 other nations, is participating in Talisman Sabre 2025, a major bilateral military drill led by Australia.
- India Joined the 11th edition of Exercise Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest bilateral military exercise, for the first time, marking a key step in strengthening India-Australia defence ties in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The joint exercise, held from July 13 to August 4, 2025, is being conducted across multiple locations in Australia, with extended operations also hosted in Papua New Guinea, reflecting growing regional collaboration.
Background:
- The Exercise Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States of America (USA) and Australia.
- The objective of the exercise is to enhance military interoperability between allies and partners, strengthen command and control structures and contingency response, to demonstrate commitment to regional security in the IndoPacific.
5.2 Akash Prime
- India, on July 16, 2025, achieved a significant milestone by successfully destroying two Aerial High Speed Unmanned targets at high-altitude in Ladakh by Akash Prime, the upgraded variant of Akash Weapon System for the Indian Army.
- The Akash Prime surface-to-air missile system at an altitude exceeding 15,000 ft in Ladakh.
- Range – 25 KM
5.3 ‘Prachand Shakti’ Exercise
- The Indian Army’s elite “Ram Division” (part of the Kharga Corps) conducted a high intensity military exercise titled “Prachand Shakti” at the Field Firing Ranges in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
- It aimed to demonstrate modern warfare capabilities, simulate deep-strike offensive operations, and integrate disruptive technologies into combat scenarios.
- This exercise aligns with the Indian Army’s declaration of 2025 as the “Year of Tech Absorption”, promoting self-reliance in defence (Atmanirbhar Bharat).
5.4 SIMBEX exercise
- The Indian Navy will participate in the 32nd edition of exercise SIMBEX as part of its engagement with the Singapore Navy.
- It is one of the longest uninterrupted maritime exercises for India.
- The Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is conducted annually by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). It will be held in Singapore later this month.
- It was previously known as Exercise Lion King.
6. Appointment
6.1 Senior IPS officer Sonali Mishra first
woman to lead RPF
- First woman Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Mishra’s appointment as DG, RPF, until her superannuation on October 31, 2026.
- She will take charge of the post from incumbent Manoj Yadava, who is due to superannuate on July 31.
About Sonali Mishra:
- She is a 1993 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
- In July 2021, she became the first woman commander to lead a Border Security Force (BSF) formation along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
- She has also headed the BSF Intelligence Wing in the Kashmir Valley as Inspector General (IG).
- In 2023, she took charge as ADG of Eastern Command, BSF, in Kolkata, West Bengal (WB).
- In 2020, Sonali Mishra was conferred with the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPMDS) while serving as IG, BSF Intelligence and Kashmir Frontier Commander.