Notes:
To celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev, India and Pakistan have recently signed the landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Zero Point, just about 4 km from the International Boundary.  It will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with the Gurdwara at Kartarpur in Pakistan. The agreement will allow access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Norowal district of Pakistan where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life. The highlights of the Agreement are as follows: Indian pilgrims of all faiths and persons of Indian origin can use the corridor and the travel will be Visa Free.

Notes:
India has been ranked 63rd among 190 countries, as per latest Doing Business Report (DBR, 2020) of World Bank (WB). As per report, the World Bank (WB) has recognized India as one of the top 10 improvers for the third consecutive year. India’s recovery rate under resolving insolvency has improved significantly from 26.5% to 71.6%. The time taken for resolving insolvency has also come down significantly from 4.3 years to 1.6 years. India has reduced the number of procedures in granting construction permits. Apart from this, India continues to maintain its first position among South Asian countries. 

Notes:
Praveen Kumar has become the first Indian man to win gold in the 48kg category at the  15th Wushu World Championships. In the final, he beat Russel Diaz of Philippines in the men’s Sanda event in Shanghai. Wushu is a Chinese martial art which combines full-contact kickboxing, including close-range punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps and kicks catch.

Notes:
Braj Raj Sharma, a 1984-batch IAS officer of J&K cadre, has been appointed as Chairman of Staff Selection Commission (SSC). He succeeded Pankaj Kumar, who recently became the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Notes:
The book titled “Ten Studies in Kashmir: History and Politics” has been authored by educationist and Padma Shri recipient Prof Kashi Nath Pandit. It sheds light on the events that happened from 1947 till the revocation of the special status of the J&K state (1947-2019 events). The author has described complexities in various aspects of contemporary Kashmir history. He has also described the issues like the genesis of the Kashmir crises, its roots, and ramifications, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Kashmir debate in the UN.