India has moved down three places to 77th rank in terms of money parked by its citizens and enterprises with Swiss banks at the end of 2019, while the UK has retained its top position, as per the latest data from Switzerland’s central bank.

India was ranked 74th in the previous year.

An analysis of the latest annual banking statistics released by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) showed that India remains ranked very low when it comes to money parked by Indian individuals and enterprises in Swiss banks, including through their India-based branches, accounting for just about 0.06 per cent of the aggregate funds parked by all foreign clients of Switzerland-based banks.

In comparison, the top-ranked UK accounted for close to 27 per cent of the total foreign funds parked with Swiss banks at the end of 2019.

Sqn Ldr Parvez Jamasji (retd), who was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, has died, family sources said. He was 77.

Jamasji, who used a walking stick due to the injuries he sustained as a helicopter pilot while conducting heli-borne operations during the war, is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

The former Air Force officer, a resident of the Parsi Colony in Dadar here, died on Thursday night after a brief illness.

His Vir Chakra citation read, “During the operations against Pakistan in December, 1971, Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamasji was serving with a helicopter unit. His Helicopter flown by him was attacked twice by machine gun and twice by mortars. He showed great presence of mind and brought back his aircraft to the base.

Rahul Dravid is the greatest Indian Test batsman, according to a poll conducted on social media by Wisden India. Dravid beat Tendulkar by a narrow margin of votes in the final round of voting.

Dravid got 52 per cent of the votes, with as many as 11,400 fans taking part in the final round of voting. “Much like Dravid batted during his playing career, he dug in and fought back in the poll, eventually crossing the line with a decent lead at the very end,” said the Wisden India report.

The poll initially had 16 Indian batting greats, with Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli being the two others to have made it through to the ‘semi finals’. Gavaskar beat Kohli in the ‘third-place play-off’ by a narrow margin.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Aatma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan will providing employment opportunities to migrant workers and promote local entrepreneurship. Mr Modi yesterday inaugurated Aatma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan through video conferencing.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said that UP will benefit immensely from clusters of industries being created to promote such local products across the country under the AatmaNirbhar Rojgar Abhiyan.

Prime Minister said that everyone will be able to surpass the difficulties owing to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He stressed that until a vaccine is found, maintaining Do Gaj ki Doori, covering the face with the mask are the best precautions.
 
PM expressed satisfaction in the manner in which Uttar Pradesh has turned the disaster into an opportunity, the way people were engaged during this pandemic. He said that other states will also get to learn a lot from 'AatmaNirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan' and will be inspired by it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Aatma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan will providing employment opportunities to migrant workers and promote local entrepreneurship. Mr Modi yesterday inaugurated Aatma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan through video conferencing.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said that UP will benefit immensely from clusters of industries being created to promote such local products across the country under the AatmaNirbhar Rojgar Abhiyan.

Prime Minister said that everyone will be able to surpass the difficulties owing to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He stressed that until a vaccine is found, maintaining Do Gaj ki Doori, covering the face with the mask are the best precautions.
 
PM expressed satisfaction in the manner in which Uttar Pradesh has turned the disaster into an opportunity, the way people were engaged during this pandemic. He said that other states will also get to learn a lot from 'AatmaNirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan' and will be inspired by it.

As many as 92,000 NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) working with NITI Aayog too participated in the virtual launch, which was done via a webcast

NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, and the Ministries of Health and WCD,  launched a behaviour change campaign called ‘Navigating the New Normal’, and its website.

Focussing on COVID-safe behaviours, especially wearing masks, during the ‘Unlock’ phase of the ongoing pandemic, the campaign was launched in the presence of NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Paul, CEO Amitabh Kant, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof K Vijayraghavan, BMGF Country Director Hari Menon, noted lyricist and CEO and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India Prasoon Joshi. Senior officials of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and BMGF were also present. As many as 92,000 NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) working with NITI Aayog too participated in the virtual launch, which was done via a webcast.

Railways will generate eight lakh man days of employment opportunity for migrants and others in infrastructure projects worth 1800 crore rupees in the next 125 days. Ministry of Railways has reviewed the progress of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan with Zonal Railways and Railway PSUs through video conference meeting.
 
The Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is in operation in 116 identified districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand. Chairman Railway Board, Vinod Kumar Yadav took a video conference meeting with General Managers, Divisional Railway Mangers and Managing Directors of PSUs regarding the progress of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.
 
The Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan of 125 days will involve focused implementation of 25 categories of works and activities in 116 districts. Each of these districts has a large concentration of returnee migrant workers. Public works to be undertaken during this campaign will have a resource envelope of 50 thousand crore rupees. The Abhiyaan will be a convergent effort between 12 different Ministries and Departments, including Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, Telecom and Agriculture.

The Union Cabinet on June 24 approved the declaration of the airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar as an international airport, stating it will offer improved connectivity to the important Buddhist pilgrimage site. “You know that Kushinagar is the mid-point of the Buddhist circuit. It has pilgrimage sites in Lumbini, Shravasti, Kapilvastu nearby it. A little farther, it has sites in Sarnath and Gaya,” Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media after a Cabinet meeting.

“However, there was no airport there of international standards. Kushinagar airport is being declared as an international airport. A 3-km-long runway strip has already been made. Now, even a big aircraft of Airbus can land at the airport,” he added.

Later, in an official statement, the Central government said around 200-300 devotees from Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar, etc come to offer prayers at Kushinagar on any given day.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got an Indian patent for its liquid cooling and heating garment (LCHG) that is suitable for space applications.

The patent is valid for 20 years from the date of application, that is, February 8, 2016, and was granted on June 19.

While ISRO is the patentee or patent owner, the four inventors are Srirangam Siripothu, Reshmi Balachandran, Saraswathi Kesava Pillai Manu, and Gurumurthy Chandrasekaran.

According to the patent papers filed by ISRO, the garment made of biocompatible fabrics and parts to provide comfortable body temperature and removal of sweat.

These garments find use in manned space flights and also for earth-bound operations such as firefighting, working in industries and the like, the Indian space agency said in its filings.

The close-fitting, single-piece garment covering the body, torso and limbs from neck to toe weighs between 1,000 to 3,000 g and has a front-entry zipper to be worn inside over which the flight or the spacesuit is to be worn.

According to ISRO, the garment has superior heat transfer efficiency and can be conveniently used for maintaining the body temperature of the wearer at levels suitable for the physiological performance required.

Former India opener and domestic stalwart Wasim Jaffer has been appointed head coach of the Uttarakhand cricket team for the upcoming domestic season.

Jaffer confirmed his appointment to PTI, stating the contract was for a year.

The highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy, Jaffer had announced retirement in March this year after playing for over two decades, primarily for domestic giants Mumbai and Vidarbha.

This will be his first stint as a head coach with a team.

"I am becoming the head coach of any team for the first time. It is very challenging and something new for me, straightaway after my playing career and I'm looking forward to it," Jaffer said.