Notes:
India has been ranked 116th out of 157 nations with a score of 58.1 at the 2017 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) index and Dashboards Report that assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the ambitious SDGs. Sweden has topped the list, followed by Denmark and Finland. The 2017 SDG Index and Dashboards Report, released by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, shows that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realize the 17 global goals. The SDG Index ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 SDGs, including economic development, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, underpinned by good governance. The index collected available data for 157 countries to assess where each country stands in 2017 with regard to achieving the SDGs. It helps countries identify priorities for early actions and shows that every country faces major challenges in achieving these ambitious goals.

Notes:
India’s first high-speed rail training centre will set up in Gandhinagar, Gujarat at a cost of Rs 600 crore, and is expected to start operating by 2020. The center will provide advanced training modules on cutting edge technologies. The construction will begin shortly after the foundation-laying ceremony is held in September 2017. It also has a sample bullet train track for testing. Over 4,000 rail engineers are expected to be trained by 2020.

Notes:
Justice Vikramajit Sen, the former Supreme Court Judge, has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) for three years. Justice Sen succeeded Justice Mukul Mudgal. The BCCC is an independent self-regulatory body set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in June 2011 to look into complaints pertaining to all non-news general entertainment channels in India.

Notes:
Liu Xiaobo (61), the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democracy campaigner, has died of multiple organ failure while under guard at a hospital in Shenyang, China on July 13, 2017. Liu had been serving an 11-year jail sentence for demanding an end to one-party rule and for introduction of multi-party democracy. He was the most prominent human rights and democracy advocate of China. Now, Xiaobo became the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since Carl von Ossietzky, the German pacifist and foe of Nazism who won the prize in 1935 and died under guard in 1938 after years of maltreatment.

Notes:
Dr. Kishore Sansi, the managing director and CEO of Vijaya Bank, has been conferred the 2017 Personality of the Year award by Skoch Consultancy Services (SCS). The award is part of the ‘Skoch Banking and Financial Leadership’ series. Past recipients of the award include C Rangarajan, Dilip Parekh and Nandan Nilekani.

Notes:
Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to make social boycott a crime after President Pranab Mukherjee cleared the legislation. The Maharashtra Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal) Act prescribes a maximum punishment of 3 year in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. It aims to prevent atrocities carried out by extra-judicial courts and caste panchayats. The Act also provides for compensation to victims. The fines imposed on violators will be used to compensate them. The Act also has a provision to withdraw cases with the consent of victims and permission from a court. In case of a withdrawal, the accused will have to perform community service.

Notes:
The Haryana government has decided to set up a hi-tech and ultra-modern ornamental fish hatchery that would be the first-of-its-kind project in India. The fish hatchery would be set up in district Jhajjar at a cost of Rs.13.68 crore. At present, Haryana is at second position in the country with fish production of 7,200 per kilogram per hectare per year in the year 2016-17. The fish production is aimed to be increased to 10,000 per kilogram per hectare per year in 2017-18.

Notes:
The fourth edition of Everest International Model United Nations (EIMUN) Regional Conference was held in Kathmandu, Nepal from July 10-14, 2017. The event is organised by the US Embassy in partnership with the Youth Thinker’s Society (YTS). Youths from 12 South and Central Asian countries including India participated in 5-day conference. The basic aim of the EIMUN was to provide a platform to young minds to channelize energy and resources for a more prosperous and peaceful world. The conference simulate four UN committees-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN), United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Notes:
The book “Narendra Modi: The Making of a Legend” has been authored by Bindeshwar Pathak, the Sulabh International founder and a Padma Bhushan recipient. The book is recently launched by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in New Delhi. The coffee table book is all about PM Modi and the inspiring journey of his life. It has images and text depicting Modi’s journey, his struggles and several initiatives taken by him since he took oath as country’s prime minister in 2014.

Notes:
The Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located in the East Sikkim district of the state of Sikkim. The total notified area of the park is around 124 square kilometres while inside the wildlife sanctuary there are a few hamlets: Aritar, Lingtam, Phadamchen, Zuluk, Gnathang valley and Kupup. This wildlife sanctuary is linked to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park of West Bengal. It is home many birds such as kalij pheasant, Oriental honey buzzard, blood pheasant, white-crested laughingthrush, striated laughingthrush, etc. It is also home for some rarities like the speckled wood pigeon and bay woodpecker.