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GK Update

Mon 04 Aug, 2025

National News

Launch of 'Apna Ghar' Rest Facility

  • According to the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched the 'Apna Ghar' rest facility initiative to ensure the safety and better health of truck drivers during long-distance journeys.

Related Facts:

  • Under this initiative, a total of 368 'Apna Ghar' units have been set up by public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) at retail fuel outlets located along national and state highways by July 1, 2025, providing a total of 4,611 beds.

Launch of 'Bharat' Taxi Service

  • India's cooperative sector has announced the launch of a taxi service named 'Bharat' by December 2025.
  • This initiative is being undertaken through the Multi-State Cooperative Taxi Cooperative Limited, which was registered on 6th June 2025.

Related Facts:

  • This consortium comprises eight major cooperatives including National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)
  • Objective: To provide better income to drivers and reliable, safe and economical service to passengers

India's First Make-in-India Green Hydrogen Plant

  • Deendayal Port Authority, located in Kandla, has commissioned India’s first Make-in-India Green Hydrogen Plant in the Kandla Port area.
  • This is an indigenously developed green hydrogen plant with a capacity of 1 megawatt.

National Green Hydrogen Mission:

  • Launched: January 2023
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • Mission Target: To establish 5 million tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030

State News

"Ghar-Ghar Swachhata Abhiyan"

  • The Delhi Government has launched a month-long cleanliness drive called "Ghar-Ghar Swachhata Abhiyan".
  • This campaign will involve active participation from government officials, civic agencies, and local communities.

Delhi:

  • Capital of India
  • Located on the banks of river Yamuna
  • Known as Indraprastha during Mahabharata period
  • British rule shifted the capital of India from Kolkata to Delhi: 1911
  • A Union Territory, which got the status of National Capital Territory (NCT) in 1991 by the 69th Constitutional Amendment

Inauguration of E-Vidhan and Solar Power Plant: Delhi

  • Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal inaugurated the E-Vidhan (paperless) system and a 500-kilowatt solar power plant at the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA):

  • An initiative of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (Nodal Ministry)
  • Objective: To make all legislatures of India digital and paperless
  • Based on the concept of "One Nation, One Application"
  • First House in the country to be migrated to NeVA platform: Bihar Legislative Council, November 25, 2021

Economy and Banking

India's Foreign Exchange Reserves: July 2025

  • India's foreign exchange reserves rose by over USD 2.7 billion to surpass USD 698.19 billion in the week ending 25th July 2025.

Related facts:

  • Foreign currency assets (a major component of reserves): Increased by $1.3 billion to nearly $589 billion
  • Gold reserves: Increased by more than $1.2 billion to a total of $85.7 billion
  • Special drawing rights (SDR): Increased by $126 million to more than $18.8 billion
  • Central bank's position with the International Monetary Fund: Increased by $55 million to $4.75 billion

Foreign exchange reserves in India managed by: Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

  • According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the number of bank accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has crossed 55 crore.
  • As per RBI data, 56% of these Jan Dhan accounts are held by women, and the total deposits in these accounts have exceeded ₹2.5 lakh crore as of 21st May.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY):

  • National Mission for Financial Inclusion
  • Launched: August 2014
  • Ensures access to financial services such as banking/savings and deposit accounts, remittances, credit, insurance, pension

Person In News

Shibu Soren

  • Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), ‘Dishom Guru’ Shibu Soren, passed away at the age of 81.

Jharkhand:

  • Formed on November 15, 2000 (separated from Bihar as the 28th state of India)
  • Area: 79,716 sq km
  • Capital: Ranchi
  • Major rivers: Damodar, Swarnarekha, Mayurakshi
  • Festivals: Sarhul, Sohrai, Tusu, and Maghe Parba
  • Tribal dances like: Chhau, Paika, Jhoomar
  • Official language: Hindi

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

  • President of the Philippines, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., is on a five-day state visit to India from 4th to 8th August 2025.

Philippines:

  • Official Name: Republic of the Philippines
  • Capital: Manila
  • Largest City: Quezon City
  • Location: Southeast Asia, in the Pacific Ocean
  • Languages: Filipino, English
  • Currency: Philippine Peso (PHP)

Art and Culture

First BIMSTEC Music Festival

  • The first BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival was organized at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
  • Artists from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand performed at this musical evening.

BIMSTEC:

  • A regional organization of seven countries in the Bay of Bengal region
  • Full name: “Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation”
  • Member countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand
  • Formed: 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration
  • Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • BIMSTEC Charter adopted: 2022, 5th BIMSTEC Summit (Sri Lanka)
  • Vision 2030 adopted: 2025, 6th BIMSTEC Summit (Bangkok)

Sports News

U.S. Kids World Championship 2025

  • Vedika Bhansali from Bengaluru won the title in the Girls 9-year category at the U.S. Kids World Championship 2025, held in Pinehurst Village, USA.
  • Vedika recorded a total score of 10-under (33-33-32) across three 9-hole rounds.
  • In the third and final round, she delivered her best performance of the week with a bogey-free 4-under 32.

Related Facts:

  • Last year (2024) Vedika was ranked fourth in the Girls 8-year category
  • In 2023, she was ranked in the top-4 in the Girls 7-year category
  • Vedika is coached by former Indian pro golfer Rahul Ganapathy

Koshanov Memorial 2025 Athletics Meet

  • Indian athlete and former Asian champion Abdulla Aboobacker won the men’s triple jump title at the Koshanov Memorial 2025 Athletics Meet held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Indian Grand Prix 3 – 2025

  • The Indian Grand Prix 3 – 2025, a national-level athletics competition, was organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab.

Major winners:

  • Men's shot put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor won gold with a throw of 18.93m
  • Men's high jump: Sarvesh Anil Kushare won gold with a jump of 2.23m
  • Women's 800m: Amandeep Kaur (2:09.31) won gold, Anju (2:10.45) won silver, and Gauthami Jayaraman (2:10.85) won bronze
  • Men's javelin throw: Yashveer Singh won gold with a throw of 77.79m, followed by Manjinder Singh (71.01m) and Gaurav Patel (70.36m)
  • Women's hammer throw: Tanya Chaudhary (60.34m) won gold, Manpreet Kaur (59.36m) won silver, and Varsha Kanpure (50.76m) won bronze

Important Days

National Bone and Joint Day

  • National Bone and Joint Day is observed every year on 4th August to raise awareness about the importance of bone and joint health.
  • This day was initiated in 2021 by the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA).

Bone :

  • Number (in adult) : 206 bones
  • Strongest bone : Femur (thigh bone)
  • Smallest bone : Stapes – in the ear
  • Longest bone : Femur
  • Largest flat bone : Pelvic bone
  • Process of bone formation : Ossification

Layers of bone :

  • Periosteum : Outer membrane
  • Compact bone : Hard part
  • Spongy bone : Light and porous structure
  • Bone marrow : Blood cells are produced

 

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