Current Affairs 26th July 2019

Current Affairs 26th July 2019 - Important Points

• Who has been selected as UK’s 1st Indian-origin Home Secretary ? - Priti Patel 
• Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict, released on 30-day parole from - Vellore central jail
• Plastic alternative from jute developed by - Bangladesh
• Highest-positioned Indian organisation on Fortune Global 500 list by - RIL
• New India-UK bilateral scheme launched on -Pilot basis
• Trial run from New Delhi to Katra completed by -  Vande Bharat Express 

Current Affairs 26th July 2019 - Details

Who has been selected as UK’s 1st Indian-origin Home Secretary ? - Priti Patel 

Indian-origin Member of Parliament, Priti Patel has taken charge as United Kingdom’s 1st Indian- origin home secretary. Priti Patel, an ardent Brexit supporter was selected by new United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Patel succeeds Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid, who was promoted as the 1st ethnic minority Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Priti Patel: Pro-Brexit

• Priti Patel had directed the leave European Union campaign in the work up to the historic June 2016 referendum in favour of Brexit.
• Patel had been one of the most vocal critics of Theresa May's Brexit policy and one of the most projecting backers of Boris Johnson for the position of United Kingdom Prime Minister.
• Patel has supported Johnson's bid for an early Brexit.
• Boris Johnson, instantly following his sworn-in ceremony, had repeated that Britain will exit the EU
  before the October 31st time limit. Johnson claimed that he will convey a deal with the EU prior to
  the designated date.
• Talking on her selection, Priti Patel informed that she will do everything in her power to keep our
  nation safe, people secure, and also to fight the scourge of wrongdoing that we see on their streets.
  She seeks to the challenges that now lie ahead.
  Most Indian-origin members in Boris Johnson’s cabinet
• Priti Patel is one of 3 Indian-origin members in the United Kingdom cabinet.
• With 1/8th of the 31 members Cabinet fitting from ethnic minority communities, the new Britain cabinet is one of the most culturally diverse Cabinet in the British political history.
• Priti Patel is the elder-most Indian-origin Member of Parliament in Boris Johnson’s cabinet. Her
  post is the 3rd most significant in the British government alongside that of the foreign secretary.
• It would put her in-charge of national security, combat terrorism, tackling crime and extremism and
  dealing with illegal migration.
• Besides Patel, Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of Infosys founder N.R.Narayana Murthy has been
  elevated to the post of chief secretary to the treasury.
• The Richmond MP will be a part of the cabinet. He earlier worked as a junior minister in the department for housing, local government and communities.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict, released on 30-day parole from - Vellore central jail

Nalini Sriharan, completing life term in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was released on parole from Vellore central jail, Tamil Nadu. Nalini Sriharan has been approved parole for 30 days. She has been in jail since 28 years and it is for the 1st time when she made it to see the world outside jail.
Court had approved her parole on July 5th when Nalini contended for parole in the front of the bench. It is significant to know that Nalini is the longest-serving female convict in the nation.
Court’s decision

The Madras High Court sanctioned her 30-day parole to attend her daughter’s wedding. The Court
informed that the state government will take the escort expenses for Nalini. In the 28 years of her
imprisonment, Nalini had been issued only 1-day parole at the time when she attended the last
rites of her father. Nalini will kept in Vellore town only which is about 140 kms away from Chennai.
She will stay here for 1 month with her daughter Harithra Sriharan, mother Padmavati, sister
Kalyani and brother Bhagyanathan, among other relations.
Arrest of Nalini
Nalini was under arrest in 1991 in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. She was penalized to
death by a TADA court and the Supreme Court. The death penalty, however, was converted to life
imprisonment by the Tamil Nadu government in 2000. Besides Nalini, her husband Murugan, AG
Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas and Ravichandran are completing life term in the
case.

Plastic alternative from jute developed by - Bangladesh

Researchers in Bangladesh have established a method to alter Jute fibre into low-cost Bio- Degradable cellulose sheets dubbed as ‘Sonali’. It has been produced by the team of researchers working for state-run Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation. The commercial manufacturing of these bags is likely to begin by end of 2019.
More about Sonali

• The word ‘Sonali’ is the Bengali-language word for ‘Golden’.
• The physical properties of created jute fibre and plastic are quite similar.
• They are non-harmful for human health.
• Eco-friendly jute poly-bags finished up of Sonali can be utilised in garments packing, food
  packaging work, wrapping material and as carrying bag.
  Significance
• Bangladesh is world’s second biggest producer of jute following India. Though Jute, also known as
  ‘golden fibre’ for its colour and its once-high price, has misplaced its sheen in past as demand has
  dropped but it is now being revived by being curved into low-cost biodegradable cellulose sheets
  that have the look and feel of plastic bag.
• The large-scale adoption of Sonali sheet is exciting due to moderately high cost of production
  which is almost double that of polythene. However, manufacturing on a large scale is believed to
  bring downcast the cost.
• For current purpose, Government of Bangladesh has sanctioned 9 lakh dollars in April 2019 from its climate change fund to assist in large-scale production of these bags.

Highest-positioned Indian organisation on Fortune Global 500 list by - RIL

Mukesh Ambani headed Reliance Industries Ltd. becomes highest-positioned Indian organisation
on Fortune Global 500 list. It has uplifted 42 places and was positioned 106 current year.
Key Highlights

• In current year’s list, Reliance Industries Ltd. replaced IOC which position 117 as top-positioned Indian organisation. State-owned Indian Oil Corporation had been top-positioned Indian organisation on list for years and was 1st on Fortune India 500 list which ongoing in 2010.
• In 2018’s Global 500 list, Reliance Industries Ltd. was positioned 148th and Indian Oil Corporation was at 137th place.
• Reliance Industries Ltd’s revenue increased by 32.1 per cent from $62.3 billion in 2018 to $82.3 billion in 2019 while Indian Oil Corporation clocked a 17.7 per cent development in revenue from $65.9 billion to $77.6 billion.

Other Indian companies to feature on list
ONGC was positioned 160th, SBI at 236th, Tata Motors at 265th, BPCL at 275th and Rajesh Exports
at 495th.
Top 10 Position
1. Walmart; US retail giant topped the list.
2. Sinopec Group; Chinese state-owned oil and gas organisation
3. Royal Dutch Shell; Dutch organisation
4. China National Petroleum
5. State Grid
6. Saudi Aramco: Saudi oil giant
7. BP: British multinational oil and gas organisation
8. Exxon Mobil
9. Volkswagen
10. Toyota Motor
More about Fortune Global 500

• It is a yearly ranking of top 500 corporations around the world as calculated by revenue. It is also
  called as Global 500.
• The list is accumulated and published yearly by Fortune magazine, an American multinational
  business magazine.
• Features that push and pull Global 500 rankings are worldwide economy, trade policies, mergers and procurements and corporate upheaval.
• World’s 500 largest companies produced $32.7 trillion in revenues and $2.15 trillion in earnings.
• The companies represented by 34 nations and employ 69.3 million people internationally.

New India-UK bilateral scheme launched on -Pilot basis

A new India-United Kingdom bilateral plan has been initiated on pilot basis to support Britain’s universities to cooperate with Indian partners to simplify UK students to visit India during their studies. It is also known as ‘UK-India Education Research Initiative- UKERI’.
More about UKEIRI Mobility Programme

• It is an initiative of Universities United Kingdom International and British Council India.
• To support students from United Kingdom to visit India. It also goals to produce up to 200
  opportunities for undergraduate students at United Kingdom universities to visit India by March
  2021.

Study in India program will support national and institutional-level aims to upsurge levels of
outward student mobility from United Kingdom to 13 percent by 2020. Current target is set out in
UUKI’s “Go International: Stand Out” campaign.
To complete its goal UKEIRI Mobility Program will support Britain’s universities to cooperate with
Indian partners to send United Kingdom students to India during their studies.
Implementation
Program will be supported by United Kingdom Government and Government of India as part of
Phase-3 of UK-India Education Research Initiative and delivered by British Council, Universities
United Kingdom International and Educational Consultants India Limited in India.
Under this program the importance will be given to students from conventionally underrepresented
groups to visit India during their study courses.

Trial run from New Delhi to Katra completed by -  Vande Bharat Express 

The Northern Railway zone of Indian Railway effectively completed trial run of Vande Bharat Express, known to be India’s fastest train. The trial was directed from New Delhi to Katra small town in JandK.
More about Vande Bharat Express

• It is also known as Train-18. It can run at a speed of 160 km/hour.
• Apart from being indigenous and completely automatic train, it is also one of the best and premium
  trains in India.
• It is outlined and developed by Chennai-based Railways Production unit Integral Coach Factory in a
  time of 18 months only, which also comprised in-house design, manufacture, computer modelling
  and working.
  Features
• It has a GPS-based audio-visual passenger data system, pantry, on-board hotspot Wi-Fi provision
  for entertainment purposes, and bio-vacuum toilets.
• It has also been fitted with better-quality seating, a facility for freezer, hot case and other technical
  perfections grounded on passenger feedback.
• Second Vande Bharat Express is projected to run 3 days/week including on Monday, Thursday and
  Saturday.
  Trial Run
• In February 2019, PM Narendra Modi had flagged off train’s earliest run from New Delhi to
  Varanasi. Later in early July 2019 Vande Bharat’s second trial run was effectively accomplished
  conducted between New Delhi Railway Station and Kanpur Central Railway station.
• According to the trial run results Train 18 is better than Shatabdi Express as it has travel classes
  like Shatabdi trains, but with better amenities in a bid to provide a new travel experience to
  passengers.
• Following effective Confirmatory Oscillograph Car Runs trial of new Vande Bharat Express on
  Delhi-Katra route, it is anticipated that train might soon extend its service to Vaishno Devi.