National Affairs
PM Modi inaugurates 1st ever Submarine Optical Fibre Cable for Andaman, Nicobar Islands
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated 2300 kilometre submarine optical fibre cable network between Chennai and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands.
- This cable project is running 2313 kilometre under-sea between Chennai and Portblair at the cost of rupees 1,224 Crore. Seven islands of Andaman and Nicobar islands other than Portblair are connected namely Swaraj Dweep, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat. This will boost digital services like tele-education, telehealth, e-governance services and tourism on the island.
About Andaman, Nicobar Islands:
Capital – Port Blair
Important National Parks – Mount Harriet NP, Mahatma Gandhi Marine NP, Campbell Bay NP, North Button Island NP
Defence minister Rajnath Singh launches Atmanirbhar Bharat Saptah
Defence minister Rajnath Singh launched the Atmanirbhar Bharat Saptah. The move is aimed at promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a self-reliant India with increased local manufacturing.
- The move is meant to give an impetus to domestic defence production. The defence minister said that the defence ministry is now ready for a big push to encourage indigenous defence manufacturing in line with Prime Minister Modi’s clarion call for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Important Points about Defence Ministry:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Founded: 15 August 1947
Govt to unveils COVID-19 National Clinical Registry
Govt has launched a project to develop COVID-19 National Clinical Registry in India
- It will collect standardised data regarding clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes of hospitalized infected patients
- It is a joint project of ICMR, Union Health Ministry and AIIMS, Delhi
- The data will serve as a tool for appropriate patient management strategies, predicting disease severity, patient outcomes, outcome data of medications and health systems.
PM launches Rs 1 lakh cr agriculture infrastructure fund; Also releases 6th instalment of PM-Kisan scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched one lakh crore rupees agriculture infrastructure fund to give a leg up to post-harvest management and marketing of agricultural produce. The scheme will enable startups to scale up their operations and India to build a global presence in organic and fortified food.
- The fund was launched with 1,128 crore rupees of new loans disbursed to more than 2,200 cooperative societies. During the event, the Prime Minister also transferred 17,100 crore rupees to more than 8.5 crore farmers under the PM-Kisan direct income assistance scheme.
- The objective is to provide medium to long-term debt financing for setting up of post-harvest infrastructure and community assets for the marketing of farm produce.
Ramesh Pokhriyal Inaugurates Two Day Global Conference on Reimagining and Transforming the University Organised by O.P. Jindal Global University
Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister for Education inaugurated the global conference on “Reimagining and Transforming the University: Confluence of Ideas during and Beyond the COVID-19 Disruption” hosted by O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and International Institute for Higher Education Research and Capacity Building (IIHEd) on 6th and 7th August 2020.
Important Points about the Ministry of Education:
Union Minister– Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State– Sanjay Dhotre
International Affairs
Mauritius declares a “state of environmental emergency”
A “state of environmental emergency” has been declared by the island nation of Mauritius. The environmental emergency has been declared as a Japanese bulk carrier “MV Wakashio” ran aground on a reef in Mauritius and began leaking oil into the ocean.
- The ship stranded two weeks ago is leaking tons of fuel into the surrounding waters.
Important Points about Mauritius:
Prime Minister: Pravind Jugnauth
President: Prithvirajsing Roopun.
Bangladesh to construct War Memorial for Indian soldiers
Bangladesh has taken a decision to construct a monument for the Indian soldiers. The country will establish monument for the Indian soldiers who died in 1971 during Bangladesh’s struggle for independence from Pakistan. The announcement was made by the Bangladesh War Liberation Minister Mozammel Haque.
- The proposed Memorial is meant for Indian soldiers alone in order to cherish the camaraderie between the Indian Army and freedom fighters of Bangladesh.
Important Points about Bangladesh:
Prime Minister of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina
Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Taka.
Awards & Recognitions
IIT Kharagpur researchers bag innovation award for generating power from wet clothes
Two teams of IIT Kharagpur researchers have bagged the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards 2020 for pioneering work in the field of clean energy.
The innovation award was conferred on Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Prof. Parth Saha and Dr. Aditya Bandopadhyay, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering for their work ‘Electrical Power Generation from Wet Textile’, and Prof. Sunando Dasgupta and his team from the Department of Chemical Engineering were also awarded for their work ‘Smart, Flexible, and Multi-Functional Thermal and Energy
Important Points about IIT Kharagpur:
Director– Virendra Kumar Tewari
Banking Affairs
RBI launches Online Dispute Resolution System for Digital Payments
RBI has introduced Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) system for resolving customer disputes and grievances related to digital payments.
- It will be a system-driven and rule-based mechanism with zero or minimal manual intervention.
- Bank and non-banks Payment System Operators will have to implement ODR for failed transactions by January 1, 2021.
About RBI:
Headquarters: Mumbai
Governor: Shaktikanta Das
Agreements
Flipkart signs MoU with UP government’s One District, One Product scheme
E-commerce marketplace Flipkart has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme of the Uttar Pradesh government to bring artisans, weavers and craftsmen into mainstream business.
- With help of this, under-served communities from UP will get a push to showcase their specialized products and crafts to millions of customers across the country.
Appointments
Hardayal Prasad becomes the new MD & CEO of PNB Housing Finance
PNB Housing Finance has announced the appointment of the former SBI Card head, Hardayal Prasad as its new managing director and chief executive officer.
Prasad will take over from, Neeraj Vyas the current interim managing director and chief executive officer of the company, will step down from the position on August 10.
About PNB Housing Finance:
Head Office: New Delhi.
Tag Line: Ghar Ki Baat.
Science & Technology
Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani launches Mobile App for Handloom Mark Scheme
Smt Smriti Irani launched the Mobile App & Backend Website for Handloom Mark Scheme (HLM). The Minister said that the Handloom Mark is being promoted to provide collective identity to the authentic handloom products.
- Textiles Committee Mumbai has developed the Mobile App with a backend web portal to completely digitise the process of registration.
- The App is in English and 10 Indian languages and will enable the weavers located at any corner of the country to apply for Handloom Mark registration through the comfort of their homes by the click of a button on their mobiles.
Important Points about Ministry of Textiles:
Union Minister – Smriti Zubin Irani
Headquarters – Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi
Sports Affairs
India to host ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021
International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed India’s position to host ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021The format of the T20 will remain the same asset for 2020 and all the team who qualified for that will participate
- ICC has also postponed ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 which will be held in Australia in 2022 due to COVID-19 along with new qualification event
- ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 to be held in New Zealand has also been postponed till February-March 2022
Important Points about ICC:
Chairman– Imran Khwaja (interim)
CEO– Manu Sawhney
Headquarters– Dubai, UAE
Important Days
Quit India Day is observed on 9 August
Quit India Day is observed on 9th August every year. The day commemorates th the important movement in the freedom struggle. The day is celebrated to pay tribute to the freedom fighters.
- It was launched by Mahatma Gandhi at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on 8 August 1942 during World War II.
- Under the movement, more than 1,00,000 people were arrested and the government resorted to violence in order to crush the agitation.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August 2020. The day is virtually commemorated. It featured a panel discussion on the innovative ways indigenous peoples demonstrate resilience and strength in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic while confronting grave threats to their survival.
- The theme of 2020 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples “COVID-19 and indigenous peoples’ resilience”.
