CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 12th JULY, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 12^th JULY, 2023

1. World Paper Bag Day is annually celebrated on 12 July to promote the significance of utilizing eco-friendly paper bags instead of plastic. The theme of World Paper Bag Day 2023 is “If You’re ‘fantastic’, Do Something ‘dramatic’ To Cut The ‘Plastic’, Use ‘Paper Bags’”.
2. International Malala Day is annually observed on 12 July to honor the bravery and activism of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for girls’ education and the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize.
3. The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 12 July as International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, aiming to raise awareness about the importance of health, and sustainability.  
4. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has honoured Indian astrophysicist Aswin Sekhar by naming a minor planet after him at the 2023 edition of Asteroids Comets Meteors Conference.
5. Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, inaugurated the LRMR Hangar & Dispersal at Naval Air Station, INS Utkrosh in Port Blair which is capable of accommodating a combination of P8I aircraft with Dronier and Advanced Light Helicopters.
6. In the Forbes 2023 list of America’s 100 most successful women four Indian-origin women Jayshree Ullal, Indira Nooyi, Neha Narkhede, and Neerja Sethi have made it to this coveted list of America’s 100 richest self-made women.  
7. England defeated Spain by 1-0 and emerged victorious in the Under-21 European Championship final in Georgia, securing their first title in 39 years since 1984.
8. According to Goldman Sachs analysts report published on 10 July 2023, India to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075, overtaking the US, Japan and Germany.
9. On 6 July 2023, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Ama Pokhari’ project to rejuvenate 2,000 large water bodies in 115 urban areas of the state.
10. State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) in line with the Digital Payment Vision 2025, has announced the launch of UPI 123PAY, an IVR-based UPI solution aims to propel India towards a cashless and cardless society.
11. Haryana Government announced that a monthly pension of Rs. 2750 will be provided to the unmarried people, between the age of 45 and 60 years and whose annual income is less than Rs. 1.8 lakh.
12. Edgars Rinkevics, the longest-serving former Foreign Minister of Latvia, has been sworn in as Latvia’s eleventh president and first openly gay President in the European Union.
13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 July 2023, laid the foundation stone for the Railway Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet, Telangana.
14. Dell Technologies and Intel have joined forces to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) lab at Lords Institute of Engineering and Technology in Telangana, aims to bridge the digital skills gap and empower the students by integrating Intel’s ‘AI for Youth’ program into their curriculum.
15. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, under the Sambal sub-scheme of Mission Shakti, is launching a unique initiative to establish women-only courts (known as Nari Adalats) at the village level as an alternative dispute resolution forum for issues such as domestic violence and property rights. The pilot project will start in 50 villages each in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir in August.
16. Major Bakhtawar Singh Brar (retd.), one of the oldest veterans of the Indian Army and its Kumaon Regiment passed away in the US at the age of 109.