Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launches mobile app ‘Niryat Mitra’

  • Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, has launched a mobie app for international trade, called Niryat Mitra.
  • The app provides a wide range of information required to undertake international trade.
  • These include policy provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, and market access requirements.
  • The best aspect of the app is that all the information is available at tariff line.
  • Currently, the app comes with the data of 87 countries.      

Khangchendzonga becomes 11th biosphere reserve from India to be included in World Network of Biosphere Reserves

  • The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
  • The decision was taken at the 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Palembang, Indonesia.
  • Sikkim’s Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea level.
  • It has sub-tropic to Arctic ecolines as well as natural forests in different biomes, supporting an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
  • The core zone – Khangchendzonga National Park – was designated a World Heritage Site in 2016 under the ‘mixed’ category.

S Gopakumar appointed director and GM of United India Insurance

  • S Gopakumar has been appointed as Whole Time Director on the Board of United India Insurance, the public sector non-life insurance company.
  • Gopakumar has taken charge as Director and General Manager of the company.
  • Prior to this, Gopakumar served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of GIC Housing Finance Ltd.

Mobile wallet transactions hit record Rs.14,632 crore in June: RBI data

  • Transactions made through mobile wallets reached a record Rs.14,632 crore in June, according to date from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The data showed the rise of 4.2% from Rs.14,047 crore in May.
  • Even though the value of transactions was highest, the number of transactions fell by around 5% to 309.62 million in June after reaching an all-time high of 325.41 million in May.

NGT sets up panel to monitor Ganga rejuvenation project

  • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a committee for monitoring the Ganga rejuvenation project.
  • The project aims at cleaning up the Ganga River from Haridwar to Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The committee will be headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge.

Goa launches new app-based taxi service, GoaMiles

  • Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service, dubbed GoaMiles, in Panaji.
  • The app attempts to ensure that commuters are not cheated, and at the same time make sure that earnings of taxi drivers increase by two to three times.
  • The GoaMiles service is aimed at bringing about transparency in fares for customers.

NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh elected Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha

  • The Rajya Sabha has elected NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh as the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson.
  • Singh went up against joint opposition candidate B K Hariprasad.
  • Harivansh Singh received 125 votes, while Hariprasad received 105 votes.

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