INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata in Jakarta

• The Indian Navy's two flagship ships, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, arrived in Jakarta to participate in a bilateral maritime exercise with the Indonesian Naval Forces.
• Indian and Indonesian navies will engage in a wide range of professional interactions, joint yoga sessions, sports fixtures and cross-deck visits, aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation and understanding between the two navies.
• During their presence in Jakarta, both INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata actively participated in the Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) at sea with the Indonesian Navy.
• This exercise was conducted to reinforce the already high level of interoperability that exists between the two navies, which has been developed through their joint operations in the Middle East.

Nivruti Rai Joined as the Managing Director & CEO of Invest India

• Ms. Nivruti Rai assumed the position of Managing Director & CEO of Invest India.
• She succeeded Ms. Manmeet K Nanda, who had been holding the ad-interim charge of MD & CEO, in addition to her role as Joint Secretary at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Gruha Lakshmi Scheme

• Laxmi Hebbalkar, the Women and Child Welfare Minister of Karnataka, made an announcement that the registration for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme would commence from 19^th July.
• This scheme is aimed at offering financial aid of ₹2,000 every month to women who are the heads of their households.

IIT Professor Has Been Honoured with the Prestigious ‘Eni Award’

• Professor Thalappil Pradeep from IIT Madras has been honoured with the esteemed Eni Award for his groundbreaking research in energy and environment.
• The award recognises his innovative work in providing affordable clean water using advanced nanoscale materials.

Eni Award

• Established in 2007, the award aims to foster radical breakthroughs in energy efficiency, renewables, decarbonisation, and environmental preservation.
• It serves as a platform to encourage and inspire the next generation of researchers to address the pressing challenges in energy and environmental sustainability.

World Chess Day 2023

• On July 20^th each year, International Chess Day is observed, aiming to promote awareness of the game of chess and honour the skilled chess players worldwide.
• In 1996, UNESCO declared International Chess Day to commemorate the creation of the International Chess Federation, widely known as FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), which was established in Paris, France.

Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE)

• FIDE serves as the global organization responsible for fostering connections among international chess federations and holds the authority as the governing body for international chess competitions.
• In 1999, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized FIDE for its significant role in promoting chess on an international level.
• FIDE, headquartered in Switzerland, remains the governing body for chess worldwide.

UNDP and ‘Absolute’ signed MoU to Strengthen the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

• Absolute, a bioscience company, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have joined forces by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bolster the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the central government's flagship initiative, and to augment the resilience of farmers.
• The primary objective is to enhance the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS).
• This will be achieved by strengthening the technical capabilities of the schemes and digitizing the service delivery of crop insurance and agricultural credit processes.
• The ultimate goal is to expand the reach and adoption of these schemes among farmers.