• Dr. Nand Kumar Sai, Chairperson, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), presented a special report of the Commission on “Indira Sagar Polavaram Project Affected Tribal People” to the President of India Ramnath Kovind.

• The report and recommendations are under Article 338A(5)(e) of the Constitution on the measures to be taken by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the effective implementation of constitutional safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes who are affected on account of Polavaram Irrigation Project, Andhra Pradesh.

Recommendations of the commission are as follows:

• The state government should provide only land fit for agriculture to PDFs/PFs within the command area of Polavaram Irrigation Project with proper irrigation as the alternative land given to them in lieu of the acquired land is not cultivable - either it is rocky terrain or there is no water.

• The Commission noted that many ST people without land holdings were also shifted. They were hitherto depending on minor forest produces for their livelihood. Now that they are shifted, they are deprived of their livelihood. The State Government needs to take care of them by providing alternative means of livelihood.

• The Commission recommended that the destroyed houses should be re-built immediately to mitigate the sufferings of ST people.

• The compensation packages in respect of Polavaram Irrigation project need to be revised on suo-moto basis by the Government of Andhra Pradesh keeping in view the observations and modalities suggested by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.

• The Commission feels that a similar scheme as per the above Supreme Court order will help the Scheduled Tribe people affected by Polavaram Irrigation Project as their right to fair compensation.

• Further, the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation, Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act be kept in mind and used to the advantage of the tribals in the best possible manner.

• A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held on 4th July that Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal is bound by the “aid and advice” of the Arvind Kejriwal government.
• In case of difference of opinion, the L-G should straightaway refer the dispute to the President for a final decision without sitting over it or stultifying the governance in the National Capital, the Bench said.
• It concluded that the governance of Delhi cannot rest upon the whims of one functionary — the Lieutenant-Governor.
• Chief Justice Misra, along with Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan in their separate but concurring opinions, cautioned the L-G against sending every “trivial” dispute with the government to the President.

• The Supreme Court followed the 1987 Balakrishnan report to conclude that Delhi is not a State. The report had envisaged that Delhi could not have a situation in which the national capital had “two governments run by different political parties. Such conflicts may, at times, prejudice the national interest.”
• Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in his leading opinion for the Bench, reproduced excerpts from the report, which said, “Delhi as the national capital belongs to the nation as a whole.”
• The report foresaw that if Delhi becomes a full-fledged State, there would be a constitutional division of sovereign, legislative and executive powers between the Union and the State of Delhi. Parliament would have limited legislative access and that too only in special and emergency situations.
• The Union would be unable to discharge its “special responsibilities in relation to the national capital as well as to the nation itself”.

• The Union Cabinet had approved setting up of NTA to conduct entrance examinations such as NET, NEET, JEE (Mains) for higher educational institutions.
• The NTA would also conduct National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) and Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT).

• So far, The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted NEET on behalf of the Medical Council of India and the Health Ministry and NET on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
• The NTA would work as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.
• It will be chaired by an educationist appointed by Human Resource Development Ministry. 

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in New Delhi.
• President said that adherence to a fair taxation system is much more than merely providing revenue to the government.
• It is part of the same social contract that underpins our Constitution. Under this Constitution we have given ourselves certain rights but also certain responsibilities.

• Taxes are what we pay to get social benefits in the form of public goods and services, health and education facilities, better infrastructure, law and order, and secure borders.
• It is crucial that this responsibility is shared by the widest possible number of citizens – whether they pay taxes directly or indirectly.
• It is the solemn duty of each one of us to contribute to the society that we share and the nation that we are part of.

• Ministry of Defence has given a go ahead for construction of 17 new baffle firing ranges in Military Stations/Cantonments/Training Establishments at an approximate cost of Rs. 238 crores.
• This will add seven ranges to the Southern Command, Three to the Eastern Command, Two to the Northern Command, one each to the South Western and Central Commands.
• The one at Central Command is proposed for the Officers Training Academy, Gaya.

• These 17 will be in addition to the 60 similar firing ranges existing all over the country.
• The proposed baffle shooting ranges can facilitate firing from 300 to 500 meters.

• A mobile App named "cVIGIL" is launched by Election commission to enable citizens to report on violation of election code of conduct
• The Chief Election Commissioner Shri. O.P. Rawat launched a mobile app, called ‘Cvigil,’ on July 3, 2018, for citizens to report any violation of the model code of conduct during elections.
  “cVIGIL" is a user-friendly and easy to operate Android application. It will be operational only where elections are announced.

• Upon successful completion of the trial, the application will be made available for general use by all, right from the forthcoming Assembly elections in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan.
• The practical use of the app during the four-state Assembly polls will also serve as a pilot initiative before it is put to extensive use during the next Lok Sabha General Elections.
• The app requires an Android smartphone equipped with a camera, good internet connection and GPS access.
• The operating system should be Android Jellybean and above. The application supports all the latest Android smartphones.

• India's latest frontline warship INS Trikand has reached Sri Lanka in a goodwill visit.

• INS Trikand is a state-of-the-art warship of the Indian Navy equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable.

• It can address threats in all three dimensions - air, surface and sub-surface.

• The Vice President of India as visited the infamous Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• Valiant freedom fighters were confined solitarily and meted out most inhuman treatment by the British in the cellular jail.
• The purpose of solitary confinement was to demoralize freedom fighters, keep them in small, solitary cells without any scope to interact with fellow prisoners and local people.

• National Film Archive of India will host European Union Film Festival 2018 from 6th July to 12th July in Mumbai.
• Opening with the French film named '9 Month Stretch', the seven days festival will feature 24 films (with English subtitle) all belonging to member countries of the European Union. These movies are selected from a variety of genres such as drama, romance and comedy.
• The films being screened at the festival have won awards and appreciation at various international festivals.

• The Law Commission recommended that gambling and betting on sports, including cricket, be allowed as regulated activities taxable under the direct and indirect tax regimes and used as a source for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
• The commission's report, 'Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting including Cricket in India', recommends a number of changes in the law for regulating betting and generating tax revenues from it.