Current Affairs of August Month
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Monetary Policy
- In its 3rd Bi-monthly
Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the Reserve Bank of India has reduced the policy Repo Rate by 35 basis
points (BPS).
Repo Rate - 5.40% (Decreased
0.35%)
Reverse Repo Rate -
5.15% (Decreased 0.35%)
Cash Reserve Ratio –
4% (No change)
Statutory Liquidity
Ratio – 18.75% (No change)
Bank Rate - 5.65% (Decreased
0.35%)
Marginal Standing
Facility - 5.65% (Decreased 0.35%)
GDP growth for 2019-20 - 6.9% (7%)
National Film awards
- The 66th National
Film awards have been announced by Rahul Rawail, head of
the Jury for feature
films. The Jury unanimously conferred the award for the Most Film Friendly State to “Uttarakhand” for
furthering the growth of the film industry in the state.
Best
Feature Film - Hellaro (Gujarati Film)
Best
non feature film - Son Rise by Vibha Bakshi
and The Secret Life of Frogs by Ajay and Vijay Bedi
Best
Director - Adhitya Dhar for Uri : The Surgical Strike
Best
Actor - Ayushmann Khuranna for Andhadhun and Vicky
Kaushal for Uri : The Surgical Strike
Best
Actress - Keerthy Suresh for Mahanati
Best
Hindi Film – Andhadhun
New State Governors - Five new state Governors were appointed by the
Union Government on September 1, 2019 –
Rajasthan - Kalraj
Mishra
Himachal Pradesh - Bandaru Dattatreya
Kerala - Arif Mohammed Khan
Maharashtra - Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Telangana
- Tamilisai
Soundararajan
Merger of Public Sector Banks - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
announces the merger of ten big public
sector banks (PSBs) into four. India will now have 12 Public Sector Banks
from 27 in 2017. Banks that will be merged as one.
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Merger of Public Sector Banks |
The
Government would infuse Rs 55,250 Crore
of capital in these 10 big banks for their credit growth and regulatory
compliance to boost the economy.
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Capital Infusion in Public Sector Banks |
G7 Summit - The Group
of 7 or G7 Summit has begun in Biarritz,
France. It is an informal meeting between France,
the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada as
well as the European Union. These world powers represents 50% of the global
economy. India has been invited as a special guest in the summit. PM Narendra
Modi will address sessions on the environment, climate, oceans and digital
transformation at the G7 Summit.
Bimal Jalan Committee - The Reserve
Bank of India has decided to transfer a sum of Rs. 1,76,051 crore to the Government of India as per the recommendations made by Bimal Jalan
Committee. The surplus money includes a sum of Rs. 1,23,414 crore for the
year 2018-19 and Rs. 52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF) adopted
at the meeting of the Central Board.
Ghaznavi Missile -
Pakistan has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface
ballistic missile Hatf-III Ghaznavi from
Sonmiani test range near Karachi. The Ghaznavi missile is capable of
delivering different types of warheads including nuclear and conventional up to
a range of 290 km.
Rajiv
Gauba - Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba appointed as
a Cabinet secretary for
two years. He will replace P.K. Sinha.
Ajay Kumar Bhalla - Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed as
the new Union Home Secretary. He replaces Rajiv Gauba, who
was appointed as the new cabinet secretary.
Rajiv
Kumar - Rajiv Kumar was
designated as Finance
Secretary. Rajiv Kumar will replace Subhash Chandra Garg.
Ajay
Kumar - Ajay Kumar has been appointed as Defence Secretary. He will
replace Sanjay Mitra.
General
Qamar Javed Bajwa - Pakistan Prime Minister
Office has announced a 3-year extension of General Qamar Javed
Bajwa's tenure as Chief of Army Staff.
Madhur
Deora - Digital payments player Paytm announced the promotion of its Chief Financial
Officer Madhur Deora as the company's
President.
Ravinder
Takkar - Ravinder Takkar has been appointed as
the MD and CEO of Idea-Vodafone.
Order
of Zayed - The United Arab Emirates will honour the Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi with the
"Order of Zayed", the highest
civilian award of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will recieve
the award during his visit to the UAE.
Ravi
Shashtri - Former all-rounder Ravi
Shashtri has been appointed as the head coach of Indian cricket team for another two years.
Chief
of Defence Staff - In his Independence Day address to the nation, Prime Minister has
announced the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff. The Chief of Defence Staff will be above
the three Service Chiefs. The CDS is meant to be a single-point military advisor to the
government who will coordinate long-term planning, procurements, training and
logistics of the three services. The CDS will also act as the military advisor
to the Prime Minister on nuclear issues.
Chairman
of Chiefs of Staff Committee - In the absence of a
CDS, presently the senior most of the three Chiefs functions as the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
(COSC). Air Chief Marshal B.S.
Dhanoa is the present chairman of COSC.
A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam Award - Tamil Nadu government has
awarded K. Sivan with
its Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award. K. Sivan is currently serving as the chairman of Indian Space Research
Organisation.
India Slipped from 7th Place - India has slipped down to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings of 2018, reveals data compiled
by the World Bank. India recorded a GDP of $2.73 trillion in 2018, which is
less than that of the UK and France,
which had a GDP of $2.82 trillion
and $2.78 trillion respectively in
the same year. India had emerged as the fifth
largest economy in 2017.
One
Nation One Ration Card - "One Nation One Ration
Card" scheme to be rolled out in India from June 1, 2020. To implement the scheme successfully,
the centre has kick started inter state portability of ration card pairing two
states each. The pairs are made between Telangana-Andhra
Pradesh as well as Maharashtra-Gujarat.
United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - Union
Environment minister launched a website 'unccdcop14india.gov.in, which
contains all the information related to COP14. The 14th Session
of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (COP14), will take place on 2-13 September 2019 at Greater Noida, India.
HarmonyOS
- Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled
its own operating system will be
called the HongmengOS, known in
English as the HarmonyOS. The
operating system will be released as an open-source
platform worldwide to encourage adoption. HarmonyOS is future-oriented
and designed to be more smooth and secure, and is completely different from
Android and iOS.
Abhinandan
Varthaman - Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will
be honoured with the Vir Chakra on
Independence Day. Wg Cdr Abhinandan became the face of a tense military
confrontation between India and Pakistan when his MiG-21 was shot down during the aerial combat between Indian and
Pakistani air forces on February 27 after the February 26 Balakot
airstrike.
Chandrima
Shaha - Chandrima Shaha is set to be the 1st woman president of
the Indian National Science Academy.
Her tenure will begin from January 2020.
Ramon Magsaysay Award
- Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has been awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the
voiceless”. The Magsaysay award was started in 1957 and
celebrates the memory and leadership example of the former Philippine president Ramon del Fierro
Magsaysay. Ramon Magsaysay Award is also known as Asian version of the Nobel
Prize.
One nation one ration card - One nation one ration card scheme was launched on a pilot basis in four states- Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Under the one nation one
ration card scheme, families who have food security cards will be able to buy
rice, wheat or any food grain at a subsidised price from any ration shop in the
mentioned states. The ration cards will need to be linked with the Aadhaar
Number to avail the service. The Union
Government plans to extend the One nation one ration card scheme to all the states by August 2020 to enable
the portability of the food security card.
Gambia - President Ram Nath Kovind
inaugurated exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi
and Khadi at the "Ebunjan Theatre" in the Gambia to
commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi. President Ram Nath Kovind is on the visit of
African country, Gambia. During his visit
India has promised to extend an assistance of USD 500,000 to Gambia.
Supreme Court Strength Increased - Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to increase the
strength of judges in Supreme Court from
the present 31 to 34 including Chief Justice of India (CJI). At present
Supreme Court has sanctioned strength of judges is 31 including the CJI.
According to Article 124 (1) of
Constitution of India, the strength of the Supreme Court is fixed as per the
law.
Ban on Single Use Plastic - India is set to
impose a nation-wide ban on single-use plastic on October 2, 2019, on the
occasion of the 150th birth anniversary
of Mahatma Gandhi. As per reports, six single-use plastic items will be
scrapped with effect from the day including plastic bags, straws, cups, plates,
small bottles and certain types of sachets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
has set the goal to make India free of
single-use plastics by 2022, had appealed to the nation to stop the use of
single-use plastic in his speech on India’s Independence Day.
Committee on Fake Degrees - The UGC
has set up a five-member committee
to look into the allegations of sale of fake
degrees by certain universities. The committee was set up after the Union
HRD Ministry directed UGC to immediately constitute a high-level committee to
inquire into the matter. The special committee will be headed by Chairman DP Singh and assisted by UGC Joint Secretary
(Private Universities) Surender Singh.
US Space Command - US
President Donald Trump launched the US
Space Command on August 29, 2019. Trump announced the establishment of the
space command as the newest US military combatant command in a ceremony at the
Rose Garden, White House.
Samudrayaan
- After
Chandrayaan, India’s is planning to
explore the deep sea region with the 'Samudrayaan'
project. The 'Samudrayaan' project proposes to send men into the deep sea in a submersible vehicle for ocean studies.
The project is expected to become a
reality by 2021-22. The project has been undertaken by the National
Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). The 'Samudrayaan' is a pilot project
of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for deep ocean mining for rare minerals.
National Yoga Awards - National Yoga Awards 2019 were conferred by PM
Narendra Modi. Winners
of Yoga Awards 2019
National
Category - Bihar School of Yoga
Individual
Category - Munger Swami Rajarshi Muni of
Life Mission
International
Category - Japan Yoga Niketan Antonietta
Rozzi
Individual-International
category - Italy
Pavan Kapoor - Senior
diplomat Pavan Kapoor has been
appointed as India's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates by
the Ministry of External.
Akshay Kumar - Bollywood
Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to
the 4th position on the Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-Paid Actors Of
2019 list. Akshay has raked in $65 million. Hollywood
star Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson tops the
Forbes list of the 10 highest-paid actors.
RAJIV
GANDHI KHEL RATNA AWARD
Bajrang Punia – Wrestling
Deepa Malik - Para Athletics
DRONACHARYA
AWARD
Vimal Kumar – Badminton
Sandeep Gupta - Table tennis
Mohinder Singh Dhillon –
Athletics
Merzban Patel – Hockey
Rambir Singh Khokhar – Kabaddi
Sanjay Bhardwaj – Cricket
ARJUNA
AWARD
Tajinderpal Singh Toor –
Athletics
Mohammed Anas Yahiya – Athletics
S. Bhaskaran - Body Building
Sonia Lather – Boxing
Ravindra Jadeja – Cricket
Chinglensana Singh Kangujam –
Hockey
Ajay Thakur – Kabaddi
Gaurav Singh Gill - Motor Sports
Pramod Bhagat - Para Sports
(Badminton)
Ms. Anjum Moudgil – Shooting
Harmeet Rajul Desai - Table
Tennis
Pooja Dhanda – Wrestling
Fouaad Mirza – Equestrian
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – Football
Poonam Yadav - Cricket
Swapna Barman – Athletics
Sundar Singh Gurjar - Para Sports
(Athletics)
Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth –
Badminton
Simran Singh Shergill – Polo
Manuel Fredricks – Hockey
Arup Basak - Table Tennis
Manoj Kumar – Wrestling
Nitten Kirrtane – Tennis
Lalremsanga – Archery
Fedor Humanoid Robot - Russia launched an unmanned rocket carrying a
life-size humanoid robot named Fedor, (Final Experimental Demonstration Object
Research). Fedor will spend 10 days learning to assist
astronauts on the International Space Station. It blasted off in a Soyuz
MS-14 spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan.
Vikram Rathour - Former Indian
opener Vikram Rathour appointed as
team India's new batting coach. He will replace Sanjay
Bangar.
"Bharatcraft" - Union Government is
planning to launch an e-commerce portal named "Bharatcraft"
for MSME's. The portal is based on
other e-commerce portals like 'Alibaba' and 'Amazon'. The portal will provide a
platform for MSMEs to market and sell their products and in turn boost the
sector.
Pakistan Blacklisted in FATF - Pakistan has been placed on the blacklist of
the Financial Action Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group. Pakistan
has been blacklisted for non-compliance and non-enforcement of safeguards
against terror financing and money laundering.
Floating Nuclear Reactor - Russia launched
the world's first floating nuclear reactor. The
vessel weighs 21,000 tons and has two reactors
with a capacity of 35 megawatts each. This
reactor loaded with nuclear fuel, the Akademik
Lomonosov left the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin its 5,000 kilometres
(3,000-mile) voyage to Pevek in northeastern Siberia.
Amazon
- Amazon has
opened its largest campus in
the world in Hyderabad. This is
Amazon's first owned-building outside of the US and and is also its largest
tech base outside the Seattle headquarters.
Sulphur
Dioxide - India is the world’s largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur
dioxide, which is produced from coal burning, and greatly contributes
to air pollution. According to an analysis
of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) data
released by environmental NGO Greenpeace. India has more than 15% of all anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2)
hotspots in the world detected by the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument)
satellite.
Neelum
Sharma - Doordarshan Anchor and Nari Shakti Award Winner Neelum Sharma passed away.
Neelum Sharma was known for her programmes like ‘Tejaswini’ and ‘Badi
Charcha’ and had been awarded the Nari Shakti Puruskar by
President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018.
Forex
Reserves - India's forex reserves has reached the
highest ever valuation of $430.57
bn. Foreign currency assets expressed in dollar terms includes the effect
of appreciation/depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held
in the reserves.
Bifurcation
of Jammu and Kashmir - President Ram Nath
Kovind gave assent to legislation for bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir,
and two Union Territories, Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh will come into
existence on October 31.
NEFT
will be 24x7 - The Reserve Bank of India will make available the National Electronic Funds
Transfer system (NEFT) on a 24x7 basis from December 2019 as per
the Payment System
Vision 2021 document. Presently, the transfer of funds via NEFT can only be done during banks’ working hours. The
facility of electronic transfer of funds is available from 8 am to 7 pm on all
working days, except the second and the fourth Saturday of the month.
AMOS-17
Communication Satellite - US carrier rocket Falcon 9 loaded with Israeli
AMOS-17 communication satellite successfully lifted off from a space
centre in Florida, spacecraft
manufacturer SpaceX.
Amos-17, built by Boeing, will provide Ka,
Ku and C-band signal transmission and expand Israeli communications satellite
operator Spacecom's coverage in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Founder of SpaceX is Elon Musk.
Priyam
Chatterjee - Priyam Chatterjee became
the 1st Indian chef to be
awarded the 'Chevalier de l’Ordre
du Mérite Agricoleto' by the government of France.
Alejandro
Giammattei - Alejandro Giammattei has been
elected as new president of
Guatemala. He defeated former first lady Sandra Torres for the president's
seat.
Priya
Priyadarshini Jain - Eminent Social
entrepreneur and philanthropist Priya
Priyadarshini Jain has been felicitated with the prestigious 'Indian Woman of Influence'
award at the House of Lords,
the United Kingdom Parliament, London.
V.K.
Johri - IPS officer V.K. Johri has
been appointed as the next Director General
(DG) of Border Security
Force (BSF). The order has been issued by the Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet (ACC) that is headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Vidisha
Baliyan - Vidisha Baliyan, a 21
year old girl from Uttar Pradesh's
Muzaffarnagar city, was crowned the Miss Deaf World 2019 title. The international beauty pageant was
held in Mbombela, South
Africa.
Gita
Jayanti Mahotsav - Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Nepal to
be the partner country for this year's 'Gita
Jayanti Mahotsav 2019' scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra.
Women
Entrepreneurship Platform - WhatsApp has
partnered with NITI Aayog, under
the Women
Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) to announce its plan to support and promote women entrepreneurs in
India. WhatsApp will also partner with the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards 2019, flagship
initiative of NITI Aayog.
National
Conference on e-Governance - The 22nd National Conference on e-Governance will be held
in Shillong,
Meghalaya. The theme of
the conference is 'Digital India:
Success to Excellence'.
R-27 Missiles
- India has signed
a deal worth around Rs 1,500 crore to
acquire R-27 air-to-air
missiles from Russia to be equipped on the Su-30MKI combat aircraft. The
R-27 missile is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air
missile for MiG and Sukhoi
series of fighter jets.
Shawala
Teja Singh temple - Pakistan has
opened a 1,000 year old Hindu temple in eastern city Sialkot for
worship for the first time since partition on the demand of the local Hindu
community. The Shawala Teja
Singh temple, located in city’s congested Dhaarowal locality, some
100 km from Lahore, is
more than 1,000 years old.
KABIL - Khanij Bidesh
India Ltd - KABIL, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, a joint venture company will be set up soon to ensure a consistent
supply of critical and strategic minerals to the Indian domestic market. KABIL
will be set up in joint partnership between three Central Public Sector
Enterprises including National Aluminium
Company Ltd. (NALCO),
Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd (MECL). The equity participation between NALCO, HCL
and MECL in the company is in the ratio of 40:30:30.
Tiger Estimation Report - Prime
Minister Narendra Modi launched a census
report of tigers in India. The report - ‘The Tiger Estimation Report 2018’ is a data about tigers in India.
PM Modi said that India has already achieved the target of doubling the numbers
of tiger population. Highest number of tigers have found in Madhya Pradesh
(526), after that Karnataka has 524 and Uttarakhand is accommodating 442
tigers.
Commonwealth Games - The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) pulled out
of the Commonwealth Games Federation general assembly meeting, to protest
against the move of dropping shooting from the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games roster. The federation, instead,
recommended the inclusion of three new sports - beach volleyball (men and women), women's T20 cricket and para-table
tennis (men and women).
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill - The Triple Talaq Bill
or the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 received
President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent on July 31, 2019. The bill has now become a
law.
Man vs Wild episode - Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will be featured in
the special Man vs Wild episode on
the Discovery Channel with ace adventurer Bear Grylls. The episode was
shot in Jim Corbett National Park
and will air on August 12 at 9 pm.
7th
Economic Census - The Government of India begins
the 7th Economic Census from Tripura. Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) will conduct the census. It will be
conducted after a gap of 5 years. The fieldwork is expected to be
completed by December and the results
at the national level is expected to be available by March
2020.
Kaiga
Atomic Energy Station - Kaiga Atomic Energy station (Karnataka) sets a World Record in continuous operation of 962 days by Unit-1 of
Kaiga Generating Station (KGS-1) among nuclear power
plants of all technologies. KGS-1 (220 MW) in
an indigenous Pressurised Heavy
Water Reactors (PHWR) fuelled by domestic fuel which
started commercial operation on November 16,
2000.
Official
Team India Sponsor - The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
announced that Bengaluru-based education and
learning app Byju's, which is owned by Think and Learn Private Limited, has
replaced Oppo India as
the official Team
India sponsor.
Khelo
India Youth Games 2020 - The 3rd edition of Khelo India Youth Games 2020 will
be held in Guwahati.
It will be conducted in partnership with Indian
Olympic Association (IOA), School Games Federation of India(SGFI) & Assam as
host State.
Bank of China - The Reserve Bank of India allowed Bank of China
to offer regular banking services in
the country. In another notification, the RBI said the name of 'The Royal Bank of Scotland plc' has
been changed to 'NatWest Markets Plc'
in the Second Schedule.
Indian Army Launched e-cars - The
Indian Army launched e-cars for use of its officials in
New Delhi on August 1. The e-car initiative has been launched in partnership
with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd
(EESL) in a joint venture of the Central PSU’s under the Ministry of Power.
The e-car launch is in line with government policies on environmental
protection.
Rasagola - The rasagola, a
popular dessert of
Odisha, has received the geographical indication tag from the Registrar
of Geographical Indication. The GI number 612 has been
registered in favour of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited.
BlueTalon
- Microsoft has acquired data privacy,
governance service firm BlueTalon. BlueTalon
helps enterprises set policies for how their employees can access their
data.
Defence
Cooperation - India, Mozambique sign 2 MoUs to strengthen defence cooperation. The
two MoUs include an agreement on sharing
white shipping information and another on co-operation in the field of
Hydrography. Rajnath
Singh is currently on his first
official visit abroad as the Defence Minister to the African
country. This is also the first time a
Defence Minister has visited Mozambique.
Prithvi
Shaw - Prithvi Shaw has been
suspended by Board of
Control for Cricket in India for 8 months for a doping violation. Shaw
was charged with the commission of an Anti-Doping
Rule Violation (ADRV) under the BCCI Anti-Doping Rules.
Penalty on Prepaid Instrument - The Reserve Bank of
India has imposed a penalty on two online payment solutions
providers ii. Mobikwik Systems and Hip Bar for non compliance of regulatory
guidelines. Mobikwik Systems
Private Limited has been slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh while Hip Bar Pvt Ltd faced a
fine of Rs 10.85 lakh.
India-Nepal
Logistics Summit - Prime Minister of Nepal inaugurated India-Nepal
Logistics Summit between India and Nepal in
Kathmandu. The theme of the summit was “Transforming Logistics Landscape”.
World Day
Against Trafficking - United Nations observes 30 July every year
as World Day Against
Trafficking. On the 2019 World Day UNODC is focusing on
highlighting the importance of Government action with a tagline: Human Trafficking: call your government to
action.
Paramjit
Singh - Lt Gen Paramjit Singh will be
the next Director
General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army.
Sudarsan
Pattnaik - Padma Awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the People’s Choice
Award at a prestigious sand sculpting
festival in the U.S. Pattnaik was participating in the
2019 Revere Beach International
Sand Sculpting Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. He won the
People’s Choice Award for his sand sculpture ‘Stop Plastic Pollution, Save Our Ocean’.
S. Jaipal
Reddy - Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader S. Jaipal Reddy passed
away.
World
Hepatitis Day - World Health Organization observe 28 July every
year as "World
Hepatitis Day" to step up national and international
efforts on hepatitis. The date of 28 July was chosen because it is
the birthday of
Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who
discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine
for the virus. The theme for
2019 is “Invest in
eliminating hepatitis”. The host country for World
Hepatitis Day 2019 is Pakistan.
India Post Payments
Bank - The postal department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank into a
small finance bank. This bank will provide micro credit at the doorsteps to
individuals and SME's. The postal department has also
target the milestone of 1 crore accounts
for IPPB in 100 days.
National Investment
and Infrastructure Fund - Australian Super and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will
invest $1 billion each
in the National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). NIIF is India’s first sovereign wealth fund that
was set up by the Government of India in February 2015. The Fund invests in
equity capital in core infrastructure sectors in India with a focus on
transportation, energy and urban infrastructure. Australian Super is Australia’s largest superannuation fund and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is Canada’s largest single-profession pension
plan.
Central Payment Fraud
Registry - The Reserve Bank of India has
decided to set up a "Central
Payment Fraud Registry". The registry will track frauds in the payment systems. Under
this registry, payment system participants will be provided access to it for
near-real time fraud monitoring.
Gujarat International
Finance Tec-City - Securities and Exchange Board of India has
approved Singapore Stock
Exchange and National Stock
Exchange of India Ltd to operate jointly in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City,
Gandhinagar. The two entities will create a new platform for trading called NSE International Financial Service Centre
(IFSC)-SGX Connect.
ASEAN summit -
Foreign Ministers from South East Asia are attending
the 52nd ASEAN summit in Bangkok.
ADB Loan to India -
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 200 million loan for improving road
infrastructure in 34 districts of Maharashtra. The aim of the project is to connect rural
areas with markets and services. Roads in rural
areas would be upgraded
to all weather standards.
Article 370 &
Art-35-A - A series of historical decisions which
includes the scrapping of
Article 370 & Art-35-A and the introduction of “J&K Reorganisation Bill
2019” were taken today during the session of Rajya Sabha. Article 370 was
providing special autonomous status to the Indian state “Jammu & Kashmir”
which will be no longer applicable.
Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile - India
successfully test-fired its all-weather
tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile
launcher at launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in
Odisha. QR-SAM system can also engage multiple targets within a
range of around 25
to 30 km.
Fame Scheme - The Department of Heavy
Industry has
sanctioned 5,595 electric buses under the phase
II of Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) India scheme. The buses are sanctioned
to 64 cities in 22 states and union territories for intercity and intercity operations in
order to push for clean mobility in public transportation.
Joint Technical
committee
For
Ganges water - India and Bangladesh have agreed to set up a Joint
Technical committee
for optimum use of Ganges
water. The river
Ganga's water is
being received by Bangladesh under the Ganga
Water Sharing Treaty 1996.
Samagra Shiksha-Jal
Suraksha - Union HRD Minister will launch ‘Samagra
Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’
to create awareness about
Water Conservation among
all school students in the
country. So
that they can become competent,
conscientious and committed water citizens of our nation.
Women Transforming
India Awards
- The NITI Aayog will launch the 4th
Edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards. The WTI Awards is being organized in
collaboration with the United Nations to
recognize women entrepreneurs from across India. This year’s theme is ‘Women
and Entrepreneurship’, in continuation of the theme for WTI Awards 2018. WhatsApp
has collaborated with NITI Aayog for WTI Awards 2019 and will be providing
support amounting to US$100,000 to the award winners.
Hashim Amla - South
African batsman Hashim Amla has retired from all formats of international
cricket.
Archery Association
of India
- The World Archery (WA) has suspended the Archery
Association of India for
violating its guidelines.
Transgender
Inclusive Policy
- The Cricket Australia has announced new
transgender inclusive policy. This policy will enable transgender
players to play the game of cricket at the highest levels. The decision aligns in accordance with the
International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) gender recognition policy and gender
diversity guidelines.
International Day
of the World's Indigenous Peoples - United Nations observes 9th
August
every year as International Day of the
World's Indigenous Peoples. The day is celebrated to raise
awareness of the needs of these population groups. Theme for year 2019
is Indigenous Languages.
Nagasaki Day -
Japan commemorates
the 9th August every year as the Nagasaki
day. On August
9, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on
Nagasaki, Japan. It
was code named "Fat Man" due to the design of the bomb as it had a
wide, round shape.
Navodayam Scheme
- The Andhra Pradesh
government will launch the
Navodayam scheme. The scheme is a complete outreach programme
for thousands of ailing Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state. Navodayam will provide a lifeline to stressed MSMEs by ensuring that all eligible units are permitted for the
one-time restructuring of accounts up to March 31, 2020 with an outlay of Rs 3,900 crore.
Serena Williams -
Serena Williams topped the List of Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2019
published by Forbes. She has topped the annual list for
a 4th consecutive year with
estimated total earnings of
$29.2 million. Indian badminton
player P.V. Sindhu came in tied for 13th ($5.5 million), with Thai golfer
Ariya Jutanugarn ($5.3 million).
Om Prakash
- Veteran director Om Prakash passed
away. Prakash was best known for his collaboration
with two of Bollywood biggest superstars, late Rajesh Khanna
and Jeetendra.
Consumer Protection
Bill - The Rajya Sabha has
passed the Consumer
Protection Bill, 2019. The bill will lead to setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of
consumers as a class. The Bill seeks to strengthen the rights
of consumers and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding
defects in goods and deficiency in services. The bill will replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
UN Palestine Refugee
Agency - India contributed 5 million USD to the UN Palestine refugee agency and
called for ensuring sustained
financial support for the organisation's work. The amount
was hand over to the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees.
Rooppur Nuclear Power
Plant – Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia for the supply of uranium for its 2400
MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP). The deal was signed
in Dhaka between the
Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Russian Nuclear Fuel Supply Company
(TVEL). Under this deal, Russia will supply the nuclear fuel needed for
the plant during its entire life cycle.
International Army
Scout Masters Competition - The 5th edition of International Army Scout
Masters Competition with teams from 8 countries including India, China and Russia as
participants was inaugurated at the Jaisalmer Military Station under the aegis of
the Southern Command. Army Scout Master Teams from Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Russia,
Sudan, Uzbekistan and India are
participating in the 9-day event from
August 6 to 14.
Sushma Swaraj -
Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away.
She was the 1st full time
woman external affairs minister of India. She
was also the youngest cabinet
minister at 25 when she joined the Haryana government in 1977 and
the first woman chief
minister of Delhi.
Hiroshima Day -
August 6 marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima during World War The
horrific incident took place on August 6, 1945, when
the United States dropped an atomic bomb named Little Boy, on the town
of Hiroshima in Japan.
National Handloom Day
– India celebrates National Handloom Day every
year on 7th August. The
day is celebrated to
honour the handloom weavers in the country and also
highlight India’s handloom industry. Bhubaneswar
has been chosen as the venue for
the celebrations of the day for its rich tradition of
Handlooms.
Currency Manipulator
- The United States has
officially labeled China a "currency manipulator".
The US has accused China of using yuan to gain
“unfair competitive advantage” in trade. The US took the action as Beijing has allowed its yuan to fall below the
politically sensitive level of "seven" to the U.S. dollar for
the first time in 11 years.
Bills Against Mob Lynching - The Rajasthan Assembly passed Bills against mob lynching and honour killing, which
make the cognisable, non–bailable
and non-compoundable offences with life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 5
lakh. The bill to curb honour killing also has a provision of the death penalty for the
convict. Now Rajasthan has become the 2nd state after Manipur which
passed a law to curb
lynching cases.
Kosi-Mechi River
Interlining Project - The Centre has approved
a Kosi-Mechi river interlining project
in Bihar. Estimated cost of the project
is Rs 4,900 crore. This
is India's 2nd major
river linking project after Ken-Betwa of Madhya Pradesh.
ScooNews Global
Educators Fest - The 3rd edition of India's largest education
brainstorming event, the ScooNews Global
Educators Fest (SGEF) will held in the city of
lakes, Udaipur. The theme for fest is Education
for Sustainability: Moving on from Conformity to Creativity'.
Vinesh Phogat -
Vinesh Phogat won gold in women’s 53kg category at Poland Open wrestling tournament in
Warsaw.
Space Situational
Awareness Control Centre - K Sivan, chairman, ISRO, laid the
foundation stone for Space Situational
Awareness Control Centre at Peenya in Bengaluru.
Automated Multi-modal
Biometric Identification System -
Maharashtra became the first state to adopt a digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to
aid police investigations.
The Automated
Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) adopted
by the Maharashtra
Police will soon be replicated across the country, with
the state government working with the National Crime Records Bureau in New Delhi to
create standards to be used by other state
police forces.
China's National
Advance Payment System - The State Bank of India's (SBI) Shanghai branch is
now connected to China's
National Advance Payment System (CNAPS). SBI is the only Indian bank to
have obtained the license to do business in
local currency and also inducted to the CNAPS by the People's Bank of China
(PBOC).
Bank of China
- The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) allowed "Bank of China" to offer regular banking
services in the country. Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere
to the norms of the RBI. 'Bank of China
Limited' has been included in the 2nd Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India
Act, 1934.
Lok Sabha will become paperless - Lok Sabha Speaker has
announced that the Lower House
will become paperless from
the next session.
This move will save crores
of rupees to the exchequer.
ISRO Technical
Liaison Unit - Cabinet has approved the
setting up of ISRO Technical
Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow in Russia. The unit will collaborate with Space agencies and industries in Russia and
neighbouring countries for mutually
synergetic outcomes.
Best City For
Students - London has named the world’s best city for students for
the 2nd consecutive year, beating Tokyo and
Melbourne that came 2nd and 3rd, respectively. According
to the rankings, India’s best
student city is Bengaluru (81st), followed by Mumbai (85th), Delhi at 113th and
Chennai at 115th. The QS Best Student Cities Ranking compiled
by global education
consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds highlights each city’s performance across
different categories.
Paytm
- The
Board of Control for Cricket in India
has announced that mobile payments and e-commerce company
"Paytm" has retained the title sponsorship rights. Paytm has retained the title sponsorship
rights for all cricket matches, domestic and international, played in India for 5 years. Paytm has signed the
deal for Rs 326.80 crores which it will pay BCCI over a period ranging between 2019 and
2023.
Super
50 - Tribal
Development Department of Maharashtra
in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic
programme "Super 50". The programme has been launched for young tribal students aspiring to
be doctors and engineers. The Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most
meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and
medical exams.
Recurring
Transactions - The Reserve Bank of
India has permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions
(merchant payments). The maximum limit for
such a transaction will be Rs 2,000. While
processing the first transaction in e-mandate-based recurring transaction
series, additional factor authentication
(AFA) validation should be
performed. The direction is applicable for transactions performed using all
types of cards—debit, credit and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including
wallets.
NISHTHA
- Union
HRD Minister launched the training programme NISHTHA, (National Initiative for School Heads and
Teachers Holistic Advancement) to improve Learning Outcomes at the
Elementary level across the country. This is the largest teachers’ training
programme of its kind in the world.
Operation
Blue Freedom - Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and
former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off Operation Blue
Freedom in Delhi. This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports
enthusiasts in survival training and
self-defence. It comes under the parent project "Special Forces Adventures".
India-Kenya
Joint Trade Committee - The 9th Session of
the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in New Delhi. The Joint Trade Committee
reviewed the progress in cooperation in the power sector, renewable energy,
petroleum and natural gas, civil aviation and agricultural research. The next session of the Joint Trade
Committee meeting in Nairobi.
World
Photography Day - World Photography Day is
celebrated on 19 August every
year. World Photography Day is an annual, worldwide celebration of the art,
craft, science and history of photography.
Sarbat
Sehat Bima Yojana - The chief minister of Punjab has
launched a universal health insurance
scheme "Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana " benefiting nearly 46
lakh families. With this scheme, covering
76% of the state’s population. Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the
maximum number of its people. The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail
annual cashless treatment up to Rs
5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.
WIRIN
- Wipro announced a strategic partnership with
the Indian Institute of Science
(IISc) to conduct advanced applied research in autonomous systems,
robotics and 5G. Wipro IISc Research and
Innovation Network (WIRIN) will focus on the research and development of
cutting-edge technologies in Artificial Intelligence.
S
Sreesanth - Former India paceman S
Sreesanth’s life ban has been
reduced to 7 years. This order was passed by BCCI Ombudsman, Justice (Retd.) DK Jain. The Ban will
end in 2020.
Babulal
Gaur - Former Chief Minister of Madhya
Pradesh, Babulal Gaur passed away. He served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from
August 2004 to November 2005.
Uday
Express - Indian Railway's 2nd double-decker Uday (Utkrisht
Double-Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will
run between Visakhapatnam and
Vijayawada.
Nicotine as "Class
A poison"- The Karnataka government has
amended the Karnataka Poisons
(Possession and Sale) Rules 2015 and
notified Nicotine as "Class A poison". The step has
been taken to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on production and sale of electronic cigarettes.
Retirement
Age of CRPF - The Union Home Ministry has
fixed the retirement age of all Central Armed Police Force personnel at 60 years. MHA has issued the order following the 2019
Delhi High Court verdict.
Sadbhavana
Diwas - Sadbhavana Diwas is celebrated on 20 August every year to
commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi. This year will be the 75th
Birth Anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
Chilika and Ansupa
lake - The Odisha Wetland
Authority has approved implementation of an integrated management
plan of lakes "Chilika and Ansupa".The Chilika lake is India’s largest brackish
water lagoon and Ansupa is the
Odisha’s largest freshwater lake.
India-Nepal
Joint Commission - The 5th meeting of India-Nepal Joint Commission will be
held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
India's Minister for External Affairs and Nepal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
will co-chair the meeting.
Jagannath
Mishra - Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra passed
away. He was 3-time Chief Minister of Bihar.
Bunker
Museum - President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated
underground Bunker Museum at
Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.
UN
Special Purpose Trust Fund - India has
contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for
the Resident Coordinator System. The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a
specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat.
Aadi
Mahotsav - National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” has
begun in Leh-Ladakh. The theme of the festival is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal
Craft, Culture and Commerce” The 9 day Adi Mahotsav will showcase
traditional art and handicrafts and cultural heritage of the country.
World
Junior Track Cycling Championships - Indian cyclists team have
won the gold medal in the
Team Sprint event at World Junior Track Cycling Championships held in Frankfurt, Germany. This is India's
first ever gold medal in a global cycling competition. The Indian team defeated Australian team in the finals
to won the gold medal.
T20
Physical Disability World Cricket - India has won
the inaugural T20 Physical Disability World Cricket Series 2019 held in England. India defeated England by 36 runs in the finals to win the
title. The 6-nation tournament was organized by the England and Wales Cricket
Board.
Inter-State
Council - The Inter-State Council has been reconstituted with Prime Minister as its chairman and
6 Union ministers and all chief ministers as its members. Home Minister
Amit Shah will chair the standing committee of the Inter-State Council.
Global
Investors Summit - Jammu and Kashmir administration
will host a 3 days global investors
summit from October 12 in Srinagar.
The summit will provide J&K with an opportunity to showcase its strengths,
strategies and potential.
P.T.
Usha - Legendary Indian sprinter P.T. Usha, one
of India’s greatest athletes, has been appointed as a member of the Asian Athletics Association’s (AAA) Athletes
Commission. This is the 2nd time P.T. Usha has been appointed a member of
the Asian Athletics Association’s Athletes Commission.
Air
India - On the nation's Independence Day, Air
India will become the 1st
Indian airline to fly over the North Pole while connecting New Delhi and San Francisco, America.
Currently, the route taken by New Delhi to San Francisco flight goes over
Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Japan before crossing the Pacific Ocean to enter
the United States of America.
Motor
Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 - Central government
has made "Headgear" mandatory
for children above 4 years while travelling on a
motorcycle. The safety measures for the children travelling on motorcycles
have been included in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019.
Aadhaar
enabled Payment - National Payments Corporation of India
has announced that Aadhaar enabled Payment System has crossed the milestone of over 200
million transactions during July 2019. The transaction count of
AePS stood at 220 million in july 2019.
Freedom
Card - Business-to-business payments startup EnKash has launched the country's first corporate credit card
called 'Freedom Card' for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The Freedom Card would give SMEs and startups the freedom to avail credit
facility for immediate needs and to manage their liquidity.
Mission
Reach Out - The Army has launched "Mission Reach Out". This Mission
aims to ensure basic necessities and
essential services are available in the region post the abrogation of the
provisions of Article 370 and reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sridevi:
Girl Woman Superstar - The book, titled 'Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar' will
be launched on Sridevi's 56th birth anniversary. The book is written by author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak.
Aishwarya
Pissay - Aishwarya Pissay made history by becoming the
first Indian to win a world title in motorsports as she won
the FIM World Cup in women’s
category after the final round of the championship in Varpalota, Hungary.
Bianca
Andreescu - Canadian teenager Bianca
Andreescu wins Rogers Cup tennis
tournament 2019 held in Toronto,
Canada. She was the first
Canadian to win the event in 50 years. Serena Williams was the
runner-up in the final.
15-Km
Long National Flag - In Chhattisgarh, thousands of
students and members of several social organisations unfurled a 15-km long
national flag by forming a human chain in Raipur ahead of the Independence
day. This event was organised by Vasudhaiv
Kutumbakam Foundation to entered the Champions Book of World Records (for the longest tricolour).
Reliance
Jio and Microsoft - Reliance Jio and
Microsoft announced a partnership to accelerate
the digital transformation in India. Under this deal, Microsoft will bring
in the Azure Cloud on Jio Network
and target the enterprise and business users seeking a technological shift.
Listening,
Learning & Leading - Home Minister Amit Shah released
a Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu's
book titled “Listening, Learning
& Leading”. The book captures the glimpses of the Vice President’s
330 public engagements across the country in the last 2 years.
Bajrang
Punia - Bajrang Punia wins gold at Tbilisi Grand
Prix held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
He defeated Iran’s Peiman Bibyani by 2-0 in the 65 kg final of the men’s
freestyle competition.
World
Biofuel Day - World Biofuel Day is observed
every year on 10th of
August to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as
an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. The theme for the year 2019: Production
of Bio-diesel from Used Cooking Oil.
International
Youth Day - The International Youth Day 2019 is
observed across the world on 12 August with the theme “Transforming education”.
Motor
Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 - President has
approved the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The
act aims to make Indian roads safer, reduce corruption and use technology to
overhaul the country's transportation system.
Vriksharopan
Mahakumbh - Uttar Pradesh's "Vriksharopan Mahakumbh" drive
has created world record after planting more than 22 crore saplings.
The drive was launched on the occasion of 77th
anniversary of Quit India Movement.
International
Electric Vehicle Conclave - The 3rd
International Electric Vehicle Conclave was inaugurated at the International Centre for Automotive
Technology (ICAT) in Manesar,
Haryana.
National
Anti-Doping Agency - The Board Of Control For Cricket In India has agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping
Agency. This decision makes Indian Cricket's governing body a sports
federation as per government norms. As a result, all cricketers will now be
tested by NADA.
National
Sports Awards - Selection Committee for the Sports
Awards 2019 has announced the National Sports Awards 2019. Selection
Committee for the Sports Awards 2019 was headed by Justice Mukundakam
Sharma, Retired Judge, Supreme Court.
Group of Minister on Jammu and Kashmir - The Union Government has constituted a 5-member Group of
Ministers (GoM)
to look into issues concerning the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and
Ladakh. The GoM will look into the development, economic and social issues of
the two UTs and suggest ways to improve the situation. The two UTs will come
into existence on October 31. The GoM will comprise Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jitendra Singh, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Narendra
Singh Tomar and Dharmendra Pradhan.
Bavar-373 - Iran has unveiled new
missile defence system "Bavar-373". This is also
Iran's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system which has
been inducted into the country's missile defence network.
Shalija Dhami - Indian Air
Force's Wing Commander Shalija Dhami has
become the first female officer in
the country to become Flight Commander of a flying unit.
Lionel Aingimea - Former human rights
lawyer Lionel Aingimea won the presidential election
of the pacific nation Nauru by defeating his rival
David Adeang.
Pramod Chander Mody - The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister has approved
the extension of the tenure of CBDT
Chairman Pramod Chander Mody. The tenure of the CBDT
chairman has been extended by one
year.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
2018 - The award is given in 4 categories: Land
Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Life Time Achievement. The
awardee will receive statuettes, certificates and award money of Rs. 5 lakh
each. Edmund Percival Hillary and
Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers
in the world who reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Internet of Things (IoT) India Congress - The 4th edition of
India’s largest confluence of digital technology, the Internet
of Things (IoT) India Congress 2019 held in Bengaluru,
Karnataka with the theme of ‘Mainstreaming the Internet of Things’.
Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD)
Conference - The 2019 Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD)
Conference will be held in Bangkok, Thailand’s. In this
conference, India will be represented by Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee
(COSC) and Chief of the Air Staff- Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa. The
theme for the conference is "Collaboration in a free and Open Indo -
Pacific".
Arun Jaitley - Former Union
finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley passed
away. He was a lawyer by profession. He held the portfolios of Finance
Ministry, Corporate Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, and Minister of Information
and Broadcasting.
Arun Jaitley Stadium - The Delhi
and District Cricket Association (DDCA) decided to
rename Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun
Jaitley Stadium in the memory of its former president of
DDCA. Jaitley was the president of DDCA from 1999 to 2013. The renaming of the
stadium will take place in September.
Narendra Modi Visited
UAE - Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has launched the RuPay
card, making the UAE the
first country in the Middle East to initiate the Indian indigenous system of
electronic payment. RuPay card scheme was launched in 2012 to fulfil the
Reserve Bank of India's vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system
of payments. India has already launched the RuPay card in Singapore and Bhutan.
Scarlett Johansson - For the second consecutive year, Hollywood star Scarlett
Johansson has topped the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female actors in
the world. Spurred by the success of her summer Marvel film Avengers: Endgame,
the 34-year-old actor’s earning reached USD 56 million.
The Central Vigilance Commission has
constituted a 4-member Advisory Board for Banking Frauds.
The ABBF will be headed by former Vigilance
Commissioner T.M. Bhasin.
National Food Laboratory - Union Health
Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated FSSAI's National Food
Laboratory (NFL) in Ghaziabad on the occasion of 13th
anniversary of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This
national lab is a result of a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), the first-of-its-kind
in the food laboratory sector. NFL is one of the two premier referral
laboratories under the direct administrative control of the apex food regulator
named- Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).
Fit India Movement - On the occasion
of National Sports Day on 29 August,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Fit
India Movement in New Delhi. The nation-wide Fit India Movement aims
to motivate every Indian to incorporate simple, easy ways of staying fit in
their everyday life.
Sri Krishna Temple - Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has launched
redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Sri Krishna temple in Manama,
Bahrain.
World Youth Conference - President Ram Nath
Kovind inaugurated the first-ever World Youth Conference. Which
was organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for
Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.
The theme of the conference was ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the
Contemporary World: Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Time magazine - The 597-ft
tall 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat and Mumbai's
Soho House have been featured by the Time magazine in its second annual list of the 2019 World's greatest places, in a
compilation of 100 new and newly noteworthy destinations.
Biometric Seafarer Identity Document -
India has become the first
country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID), capturing
the facial biometric data of seafarers. The new facial biometric technology is
a marked improvement over the two-finger or iris-based bio-metric data, with
modern security features.
India Security Summit - The 12th
India Security Summit was held in New Delhi. The theme of
the summit was “Towards New National Cyber Security Strategy”.
International Day Against Nuclear Tests -
United Nations observes International Day Against Nuclear Tests on 29
August every year. It is observed to increase awareness
and education about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other
nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of
achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Campaign Against Dengue
- Delhi government will launch mega 10-week
campaign against dengue and chikungunya.
The campaign has been titled as "10 Hafte, 10 Baje 10 minute Har Ravivar, Dengue Par
War".
Penality on Johnson & Johnson - Johnson
& Johnson has been ordered to pay $572
million for Opioid addiction crisis in the US.
Oklahoma court has accused J&J of its role in fostering the state’s opioid
addiction crisis. The money will be used to provide care for addicts, families
and communities ravaged by the crisis.
OTP facility for ATM withdrawals - Public sector
Bank, Canara Bank has launched
India’s first OTP facility for ATM withdrawals.
This additional factor of authentication protects from unauthorized ATM cash
withdrawals for cardholders. Now Canara Bank ATMs
get safer and more secured with OTP facility on cash withdrawals above Rs 10,000
in a day.
WorldSkills Kazan 2019 - Indian team created
history by winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at
the world's biggest international vocational skill competition, 45th
WorldSkills Kazan 2019, Russia.
Springhill - Intel Corp launched its
latest processor, it's first using artificial intelligence (AI), designed for
large computing centres. The chip developed at its development facility in
Haifa, Israel. The name of the chip is Nervana
NNP-I or Springhill and it is based on a 10
nanometre Ice Lake processor that will allow it to cope
with high workloads using minimal amounts of energy.
PV Sindhu - Ace Indian
shuttler PV Sindhu has won the World
Championships title defeating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in
the final at Basel, Switzerland.
Postal Stamp of Bandra
Station - Bollywood actor Shah
Rukh Khan launched heritage postal stamp of Bandra
station in Mumbai, Maharashtra on the completion of 150
years of the railway station.
Co-Branded Credit Card -
Bandhan Bank launched a co-branded credit card in
association with Standard Chartered bank. This
credit card would be offered to 40 lakh savings bank account holders across the
1,000 branches of Bandhan Bank.
Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart
Story - A new book recounting the story of how Binny
Bansal and Sachin Bansal (both-former founders of
Flipkart) built e-commerce giant Flipkart. This book is written by Mihir
Dalal. The book is titled as “Big
Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story” and will be
published by “Pan Macmillan India”.
Ocean Energy as renewable energy - The Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy has declared Ocean Energy as renewable energy status. It
has clarified to all stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of
ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion and shall
be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
Insider Trading - The Securities
and Exchange Board of India has announced a new mechanism
to reward insider trading informants to
uncover insider trading cases. The reward would be 10 per cent of the money
collected, subject to a maximum amount of Rs 1 crore.
International Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition - United Nations observes 23
August every year as “International Day for
the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”.