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Four-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa has become the India’s first gold-medallist at the President’s Cup boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the finals in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 20, 2019. It was his international debut in the newly-introduced Olympic category of 63kg. Thapa was to fight Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin in the summit clash but his opponent had to pull out due to injury. Earlier, this year, Thapa had lost to Safiullin in the 2019 Asian Championship semifinal.

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The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has launched a research project for developing an online platform in order to facilitate effective fish marketing systems. The project aims to develop a fish market information system, fish price information and facilitate an e-auctioning system trade platform for commercially important fish species. As many as 1,500 fish markets, including landing centres, wholesale markets, retail markets and aquaculture production markets, across the country will be selected for implementing the programme. The project on fish market and price information system is funded by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad. The headquarters of CMFRI is located in Kochi, Kerala.

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Lt Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane appointed next Vice Chief of Indian Army. He will succeed Lt Gen Devraj Anbu who is slated to retire on August 31. Lt Gen Naravane will be in contention for the Army chief’s post as he will be the senior-most commander when incumbent Gen Bipin Rawat retires on December 31. In his 37 years of service, Lt Gen Naravane has served in numerous command and staff appointments in peace, field and highly active counter insurgency environments. He has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and an Infantry Brigade on the eastern front.

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Priti Patel, a prominent member of the Back Boris campaign for the Conservative Party leadership, has become the Britain’s first Indian-origin home secretary as part of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top team. She succeeded Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid, who moves to the Treasury department as the first ethnic minority Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr Javid, a former banker from a modest background, was a contender for the premiership but endorsed Johnson when he failed to get enough support from fellow Conservative MPs. Mr Johnson has also named Brexit hardliner Dominic Raab as the country’s Foreign Secretary.

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After nearly four decades, Chandigarh has finally received affiliation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Now, the city can also have its own team in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments organised by the BCCI. This was stated by Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA) President Sanjay Tandon. Following the development, Chandigarh cricketers, who were earlier forced to represent Punjab or Haryana to be able to play at the national or international level, can now directly represent the city. UTCA was registered in 1982 and since then various attempts were made to get the affiliation. Delhi is the only other Union Territory with BCCI affiliation.

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On 30th July 2019, the Government of India (GoI) has kick off the 7th Economic Census from Tripura. It will be launched in other states and union territories in August and September. The census is being conducted by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) & will be held this year after a gap of five years. The ministry has partnered with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and Information. The census would also cover all establishments, including household enterprises, engaged in production or distribution of goods and services. The data will be collected through door to door survey of each household and commercial establishment under the provisions of Collection of Statistics Act 2008. The fieldwork is expected to be completed by December and the results at the national level is expected to be available by March 2020. The economic census is the only source of information on the significantly large unorganized sector in the country. As per the last Economic Census conducted in 2013, there were 58.5 million establishments employing around 131 million workers.

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Rajiv Kumar, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed the new Finance Secretary. He succeeded Subhash Chandra Garg, who is currently the power secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the designation of Kumar as the new Finance Secretary. The finance secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry of Finance and is the principal adviser to the Finance Minister on all matters of policy and administration within the Finance Ministry. He is the senior-most bureaucrat among the five Secretaries of the five Departments of the Ministry of Finance, viz. Economic Affairs, Revenue, Expenditure, Financial services and Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

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The researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru have discovered a new vine snake species called Proahaetulla antiqua in Western Ghats . This is an ancient species which is endemic to southern Western Ghats. This is thought to have evolved around 26 million years ago during the mid-Oligocene period. Vine snakes get their names due to their slender bodies and vine-like appearances. These new vine snakes are named after the Latin words ‘antiqua’, meaning ‘old or ancient’. The common name suggested for these individuals is ‘keeled vine snake’. They are found in the protected habitats of the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, both located in the southern Western Ghats. The discovery not only help the researchers know more about the evolution of vine snakes but also the evolutionary history of the Western Ghats (a landmass older than the Himalayas).

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On the occasion of 2019 International Tiger Day (ITD), Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the 4th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation report 2018 in New Delhi. The count of tigers in India has risen to 2967 in 2018. The rise in tiger numbers was in conformity with the average annual growth rate of tigers since 2006. According to the Tiger census, Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 with Uttarakhand at 442. It was a moment of pride for the country as it achieved its commitment to the St. Petersburg Declaration, of doubling Tiger population, much in advance to the 2022 deadline. Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while tiger’s numbers in Odisha remained constant. The Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers, while Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the maximum improvement since 2014. The ITD is observed every year on 29th of July to spread the message to protect these endangered species and assist in maintaining ecological integrity. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia with the goal to bring worldwide attention to the dwindling numbers of tigers and their plight.

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The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow in Russia eyeing Russian partnership for 2022 Gaganyaan Mission . The unit will enable effective technical coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realization of the programmatic targets of ISRO. The ITLU will also support the ongoing bilateral programmes of cooperation in space technology and act on behalf of ISRO. The Cabinet has also approved the signing of United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by India. The move will send a positive signal to foreign investors about India’s commitment to adhere to international practice on Alternative Dispute Resolution.