current affairs 25 July 2022

COP 26 President and NITI Aayog launch initiatives to boost electric mobility.

• During the visit of COP 26 President Rt Hon’ble Alok Sharma to India on 21-22 July 2022, NITI Aayog today launched two significant initiatives.
• E-AMRIT (Accelerated e-Mobility Revolution for India's Transportation) mobile application to raise awareness on electric mobility
• Report on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Reuse and Recycling Market in India.
• These are launched by COP 26 President Rt Hon’ble Alok Sharma, Hon’ble Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Mr Suman Bery, and CEO of NITI Aayog Mr Parameswaran Iyer.
• India is among 42 leaders to back and sign up to the UK's Glasgow Breakthroughs, launched at the COP26 climate summit.
• India is also a co-convener of the Glasgow Breakthrough on Road Transport, together with the UK and the US.
• The Breakthrough on Road Transport aims to make ZEVs – including 2&3-wheelers, cars, vans and Heavy-Duty Vehicles – the new normal by making them affordable, accessible and sustainable in all regions by 2030.

World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

• It came at the end of the second meeting of the WHO's emergency committee on the virus.
• The classification is the highest alert that the WHO can issue and follows a worldwide upsurge in cases.
• WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries.
• There have been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak.
• There are only two other such health emergencies at present - the coronavirus pandemic and the continuing effort to eradicate polio.

India, the UK sign MoU on Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualification.

• India and United Kingdom signed an agreement to provide student mobility and academic collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs).
• Signed by: James Bowler, Permanent Secretary, Department of International Trade of United Kingdom (UK) and K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education, India.
• In May 2021, a comprehensive Roadmap to 2030 was adopted for enhanced bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

India’s R&D expenditure one of the lowest worldwide: NITI Aayog.

• As per the NITI Aayog's India Innovation Index 2021, Gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) of India is one of the lowest in the world (just $43 per capita or as a percentage of GDP of 0.70%).
• India needs to boost this expenditure and at least be on a par with countries like Russia ($285), Brazil ($173), and Malaysia ($293).
• This is lower than Brazil (1.16%), South Africa (0.83%) and others. Only Mexico (0.31%) had a lower share of GERD.

Bajaj Allianz launches Pay As You Consume motor insurance add-on cover.

• Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has announced the launch of its add-on motor insurance cover, called ‘Pay As You Consume’ (PAYC).
• It is a usage-based motor insurance add-on cover, can be opted by the customer along with the basic Own Damage (OD plan) under Package Product, Bundled and Standalone OD cover.
• Customers can choose coverage based on their vehicle usage, further to which the premium will be calculated, i.e., kilometres driven annually.