Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme:
- The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) is an employment guarantee scheme introduced by the Government of India.
- The Act came into effect from 25.05.2005 and was originally introduced as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
- It was renamed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 2009 on Gandhiji’s birthday.
- The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, in collaboration with the State Government, is implementing this scheme.
- The scheme aims to increase the standard of living and purchasing power of people living below the poverty line in rural India.
- Under this scheme, rural adults who are willing to do public work will be given compulsory unskilled manual labour employment for 100 days in a financial year with low government wages.
- The right to work of the rural poor will be established.
- Rural socio-economic infrastructural facilities will be improved. Livelihood of rural people will be enhanced.
- Individual household toilets will be developed and rural areas will be improved in sanitation.
- People in rural areas will reduce migration and their purchasing power will increase.
- Planting shade trees and useful trees will improve natural resources.
National Literary Award for Writer Sivasankari:
- To celebrate Telugu poet and Jnanpith awardee Padma Bhushan C. Narayana Reddy’s birth anniversary, the Suseela Narayana Reddy Foundation annually presents the National Literary Award in his name.
- C Narayana Reddy Memorial National Literary Award given to author and social activist Sivasankari, for the current year.
- Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
First state to offer reservation for women in co-operative societies: Uttarakhand
- Uttarakhand government has announced 33 percent reservation for women in cooperative societies.
- In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Prosperity through Cooperatives’, the Uttarakhand government has announced 33 percent reservation for women in cooperatives.
- Uttarakhand was the first state in the country to introduce reservation for women in cooperative societies.
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Dree Festival: Arunachal Pradesh
- An agricultural festival, the Dree festival is celebrated by the Apatani tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Tri festival is the biggest festival of Apatani tribal people.
- Tri festival is celebrated on 5th July every year.
July 31: World Forestry Day
- World Forestry Day is observed worldwide on July 31 to commemorate forest rangers who have died or been injured in the line of duty.
Important Facts:
- The Governors’ Conference is scheduled to be held at the President’s House on August 2 and 3. This is the first governors’ conference to be held under the chairmanship of President Droupadi Murmu.
- In 2006, the MS Swaminathan Committee conducted a study on the condition of farmers and recommended that ‘minimum support price should be fixed at a rate of 50 percent profit to protect the welfare of farmers’.
- Manu Bhakar and Sarabjot Singh jointly won the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team category at the Paris Olympic shooting competition.
- 9 inscriptions of 1100 years old have been found near Tiruppur.
- 16-year-old para swimmer Jiya Roy from Mumbai became the world’s youngest and fastest swimmer to cross the English Channel.