3rd JULY CURRENT AFFAIRS IN ENGLISH

1. Election Commission of India to hold a National Consultation on Accessible Elections

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has organized a two-day “National Consultation on Accessible Elections,” from the 3rd July, 2018 in New Delhi.  

• It will be inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner Shri O.P. Rawat, in presence of the Election Commissioners Shri Sunil Arora and Shri Ashok Lavasa.
• The event is a part of the ECI’s pursuit of its mission ‘leave no voter behind,’ with special focus on “Persons with Disabilities” (PwD).
• During the inaugural session, a dedicated portal for the ECI’s ‘Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation’ (SVEEP) initiative will also be launched.

2. Consultative committee meeting on “Marine Fisheries-Mariculture in India”

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has notified the “National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017”, which will guide the development of marine fisheries sector for the next 10 years.

• Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said this at the inter-session meeting of the consultative committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on “Marine Fisheries-Mariculture in India” in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
• The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to discuss and deliberate various issues related to “Marine Fisheries - Mariculture in India”.

3. Union Home Minister felicitates medal winners of 17th World Police & Fire Games-2017

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh felicitated the medal winners of the 17th World Police & Fire Games held at Los Angeles, California, USA from August 7-16, 2017.

• He was the chief guest in the function organized by All India Police Sports Control Board (AIPSCB) to felicitate the medal winners.
• The 101-member Indian Police contingent returned with a record breaking haul of 321 medals from the 17th World Police & Fire Games.
• The contingent bagged 151 Gold, 99 Silver and 71 Bronze medals in the seven events they participated in the Games.
• It is a rarest of the rare occasion where each team member won a medal irrespective of individual or relay events in which they participated.

4. 44th Advanced Professional Programme for Civil Servants and officers

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North E​​astern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh​ said that lateral entry at the Joint Secretary level will enrich governance.

• He was delivering the inaugural address at 44th Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration (APPPA) for Civil Servants and officers, organized by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).

5. National Workshop on Skill Development for PwDs

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is organizing a “National Workshop on Skill Development for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)” on July 3.

• The workshop is being organized with a view to provide a platform to all stakeholders ranging from training partners to the policy makers as well as employers.
• The Workshop will dwell upon all the issues involved in the skill development for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

6. Government forms panel to upgrade norms for state

The government has set up a 13-member committee for Sub-National Accounts will be headed by Ravindra H Dholakia, a retired professor of IIM Ahmedabad.

• Its aim is to upgrade the norms for computation of economic data at states and districts level to revise the base year for National Accounts or GDP calculation.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) will change the base year to 2017-18 for the calculation of GDP and IIP numbers from the current 2011-12.

7. Artist Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the Kalidas Award

Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon, 78 received the National Kalidas Samman for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh government.

• The award was conferred in recognition of her insightful and sensitive portrayal of the identity and spirit of women through her meaningful paintings in a variety of media.
• Artist A. Ramachandran was also conferred with the Kalidas Award.

8. 'Himachal gets national award for best performance under PMSMA'

Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged first among states for its performance under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan (PMSMA) in the country.

• Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda conferred the award upon the state which was received by Additional Chief Secretary, Health, BK Agarwal.

9. Dravid, Ponting, Taylor inducted in ICC Hall of Fame

Former India captain Rahul Dravid and Australian legend Ricky Ponting have been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame for their stupendous achievements in international cricket.

• Along with Dravid and Ponting, retired England woman wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor was also named in the 'Hall of Fame' during a ceremony in Dublin.
• Dravid is only the fifth player from India to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame.
• Ponting is the 25th Australian to get the honour.
• Taylor is the seventh woman and the third female player from England to join the greats.