IMPORTANT DAYS

World Population Day celebrated on July 11

• World population day Celebrated every year on July 11 to raise awareness about global population issues.

• 2024 Theme: "Leave no one behind, count everyone."

• The day Created by the UN Development Programme in 1989, inspired by the Day of Five Billion (July 11, 1987).

• First Observance: July 11, 1990; UN General Assembly formalized it in December 1990.

• The global population reached five billion on July 11, 1987.

• Origin: Idea proposed by Dr. KC Zachariah, a senior demographer at the World Bank.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

12th India-UAE JDCC Meeting in Abu Dhabi

• The 12th meeting of the India-UAE Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (JDCC) took place in Abu Dhabi.

• Indian delegation led by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad; UAE delegation led by Brigadier General Staff Jamal Ebrahim Mohamed Almazrooqi.

• Key Discussions:

 Training cooperation and joint military exercises.

 Defense industrial partnerships and R&D initiatives.

 Exchange of subject matter experts and experiences.

 Regional security, especially maritime issues.

• The meeting aims to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and UAE.

• The JDCC, formed in 2006, advances defense relations between India and UAE.

2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat to start on July 11

• The 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from July 11–12, 2024.

• S. Jaishankar, the Foreign Minister of India, will host his counterparts from BIMSTEC countries during this event.

• The inaugural BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023.

• Foreign Ministers from the seven BIMSTEC countries will attend, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

• Agenda: Discussions will focus on enhancing cooperation in sectors such as security, connectivity, trade and investment, and people-to-people contacts.

• The retreat aims to strengthen and expand collaboration within the BIMSTEC framework across various domains for mutual benefit.

• This retreat underscores the commitment of BIMSTEC countries to regional cooperation and integration across South and Southeast Asia.

Bangladesh Joins Colombo Security Conference

• Bangladesh becomes the fifth member of the Colombo Security Conference (CSC) on June 10.

• The announcement took place during the 8th Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) level meeting, hosted virtually by Mauritius.

• India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Maldives welcomed Bangladesh. Seychelles participated as an observer.

• CSC was established in 2020 by India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to enhance maritime cooperation.

• Member States reviewed the CSC Roadmap for 2023-2024 and previous decisions from high-level meetings.

• Indian Representation: Deputy National Security Advisor (Internal Affairs) Pankaj Kumar Singh represented India.

• The 7th NSA level meeting of the CSC is scheduled to be held in India later this year.

NATIONAL NEWS

16th Finance Commission formed the Advisory Council

• A five-member Advisory Council was constituted by the 16th Finance Commission.

• Poonam Gupta, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research.

• Economists D.K. Srivastava, Neelkanth Mishra, Pranjul Bhandari, and Rahul Bajoria.

• Advise on Terms of Reference (ToR) and related matters.

• The role and functions of the Advisory Council will include assisting the Commission in preparing papers or research studies and monitoring or evaluating studies ordered by the Finance Commission.

• This will enhance the Commission's understanding of the issues involved in its rules of engagement.

• Distribution of net tax proceeds between Union and states (Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution).

• Principles for grants-in-aid for state revenues from the Consolidated Fund of India.

SPORTS

ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2024

• ICC Men's Player of the Month for June 2024 given to Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

• His outstanding performance in the ICC T20 World Cup, taking 15 wickets in 8 matches, earning Player of the Tournament.

• Women's Award: Smriti Mandhana named ICC Women's Player of the Month for June 2024 for her excellent batting against South Africa.

• ICC Player of the Month awards introduced in January 2021 to recognize top performances in international cricket for both men and women.

MISCELLANEOUS

Adani Group Sponsors Team India for Paris Olympics

• Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani announced the group's sponsorship of the Indian team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Campaign Theme: The campaign, #DeshkaGeetAtOlympics, highlights athletes' dedication and aims to support them in hearing the national anthem at the victory podium.

• Indian athletes are intensively training for the Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

• India won a record 7 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

• Since 2016, the Adani Group has backed over 28 athletes in sports including boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, and archery.

India's Energy Storage Capacity Update

• India's battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity reached over 210 MW.

• As of March 2024, cumulative energy storage capacity is 219.1 MWh (111.7 MW), with 120 MWh (40 MW) added in Q1 2024 alone.

• Solar PV systems combined with BESS account for 90.6% of the total installed capacity.

• Leading State: Chhattisgarh installed the highest BESS capacity, contributing 54.8% of the total.

• Pumped Hydro Storage: India's operational pumped hydro storage capacity is 3.3 GW, mainly in Telangana and West Bengal.

• By 2027, India is expected to add 1.6 GWh of standalone BESS and 9.7 GW of renewable projects with energy storage.

• Currently, 1.6 GW of standalone BESS, 9.7 GW of renewable projects with storage, and 78.1 GW of pumped hydro projects are in various development stages.