Current Affairs 20th August 2020| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World Mosquito Day

• World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
• The theme for the year 2020 is on the topic ‘Malaria’. The day is celebrated to appreciate the efforts taken by healthcare officials, NGOs and government agencies in helping people fight against various incurable diseases caused by Malaria.

Sadbhavana Diwas

• The Congress party observes former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary as Sadbhavna Diwas every year. He was born on August 20, 1944.
• The Congress observes Sadbhavna Diwas to promote national integration and harmony. Several events are organized remembering Rajiv Gandhi on this day.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Indian Railways introduces drone-based surveillance system to protect railway assets

• The Mumbai Division of Central Railway zone has recently procured two Ninja UAVs.
• For drone flying, surveillance as well as for its maintenance, a team of four Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff, Mumbai has been trained.
• These drones are capable of Real Time Tracking, Video Streaming, as well as they can be operated on Automatic Fail Safe Mode. The extensive use of drones has been planned by the RPF for the purpose of Railway security.
• RPF has procured as many as nine drones at a cost of Rs 31.87 lakh at Central Railway, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Modern Coaching Factory, and Raebareli.
• The drone-based surveillance system acts as an “Eye in the sky” and monitors the whole area.

About Indian Railways

• Head Quarters: New Delhi
• Chairman: V K Yadhav

Union Cabinet gives a go ahead to setting up of National Recruitment Agency, to benefit job seeking youth of the country

• The Cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct Common Eligibility Test. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar termed it as a historic decision which will benefit job seeking youth of the country. He stated, this fulfills the long standing demand of the youth of the country.
• The National Recruitment Agency will conduct a Common Eligibility Test to screen and shortlist candidates for the Group B and C (non-technical) posts. The NRA will have representatives from the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Finance, SSC, RRB and IBPS. Special focus on creating examination infrastructure in the 117 Aspirational Districts would go a long way in affording access to candidates at a place nearer to where they reside.
• The CET score of the candidate shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of declaration of the result. The best of the valid scores shall be deemed to be the current score of the candidate. There shall be no restriction on the number of attempts to be taken by a candidate to appear in the CET subject to the upper age limit. Relaxation in the upper age limit shall be given to candidates of SC/ST/OBC and other categories as per the extant policy of the Government.
• Candidates would have the facility of registering on a common portal and give a choice of Centres. Government has sanctioned a sum of 57 crore rupees for the National Recruitment Agency. The expenditure will be undertaken over a period of three years. National Recruitment Agency will ensure transparency and ease in recruitment process, both for the candidate and the recruiting organisation. CET scores can be shared with Central and State Governments, PSUs, private sector thus reducing recruitment costs of these organisations.

Other approvals:

• The Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister also approved a proposal for leasing out three airports of the Airports Authority of India through Public Private Partnership. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar stated, the three airports are Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Fair and Remunerative Price of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for the sugar season 2020-21 at 285 rupees per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10 per cent.
• CCEA also approved one-time relaxation to Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification Corporation for extending loans to DISCOMs above limits of working capital cap of 25 percent of last year’s revenues under Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

UAE connects first Arab nuclear plant to power grid

• The oil-rich United Arab Emiratesannounced that it has connected its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national grid in a new first for the Arab world.
• The milestone follows the successful start-up of the plant’s first reactor at the end of last month and launches the UAE on the road to meeting 25% of its electricity needs from nuclear power.
• Barakah, which means “blessing” in Arabic, is a regional first. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has stated it plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors, but the project has yet to materialise.
• Barakah was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion.
• More than 950 kilometres (nearly 600 miles) of 400 kV overhead power lines had to be built to link the plant to the grid. Barakah’s other three reactors are stated to be almost ready for operation.
• Construction work has already been completed on Unit 2, and Units 3 and 4 are respectively 93% and 86% complete.
• The UAE lies just across the Gulf from Iran which has a nuclear power plant of its own outside the coastal city of Bushehr, as well as a controversial uranium enrichment programme.

About UAE:

• President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Capital: Abu Dhabi
• Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham

41 lakh youth lost jobs in India due to COVID-19 impact, says ILO-ADB Report

• At least 41 lakh youth in the country lost jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic while construction and farm sector workers account for the majority of job losses, according to a joint report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
• According to the report, employment prospects for youth in Asia and the Pacific are severely challenged due to the pandemic. Youth (15-24 years) will be hit harder than adults (25 and older) in the immediate crisis and risk-bearing higher longer-term economic and social costs, the report added.
• It further noted that in India, two-thirds of firm-level apprenticeships and three quarters of internships were completely interrupted during the pandemic. The report calls on governments to adopt urgent and targeted measures to generate jobs for the youth, keeping education and training on track, and to minimise future scarring of more than 660 million young people.
• Even before the COVID-19 crisis, youth in Asia and the Pacific faced challenges in the labour market. In 2019, the regional youth unemployment rate was 13.8 per cent, compared to three per cent for adults; and more than 160 million youth (24 per cent of the population) were not in employment, or education.

About ADB:

• President: Masatsugu Asakawa
• Headquarters:Manila, Philippines

About International Labor Organization (ILO):

• Director-General: Guy Ryder
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

YES BANK launches digital `Loan against Securities` under the Loan in Seconds platform for instant loan disbursements

• YES BANK announced the launch of digital ‘Loan against Securities’,a unique solution enabling customers to lien mark their mutual funds digitally and avail quick and hassle-free loan.
• This digital solution has been launched under YES BANK’s ‘Loan in Seconds’ platform, allowing customers to set an instant credit limit against securities held.
• Customers can now avail a loan digitally without any additional documentation from the safety and comfort of their homes.
• Customers can avail the facility from the Bank’s website,https://www.yesbank.in/yes-bank-loans/loan-in-secondsand lien mark mutual funds with KFin Technologies as the registrar.

Benefits of the solution

• Instant availability of funds in account within minutes
• Loan up to Rs. 1 crore against debt mutual funds
• Available against both Debt and Equity Mutual Funds
• Customer retains mutual fund portfolio without liquidation
• Interest applied only on amount utilized for the number of days of utilization

About YES Bank

• CEO: Prashant Kumar
• Headquarters: Mumbai

About KFin Technologies

• Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana
• CEO: Sreekanth Nadella

IRDAI group recommends setting up loss prevention entity for non-life insurers

• A working group constituted by the insurance regulator has recommended the setting up of a non-profit company to reduce insurance losses arising from property and motor related liabilities for the industry.
• The ten-member committee headed by Irdai member T L Alamelu has recommended the regulator and industry participants to join hands in establishing this company.
• The committee which has representations from the regulators, insurers, experts and brokers was constituted in December of 2019 to study various risks and losses suffered by companies insuring property and motor related losses.
• The Company may also set standards and benchmarks for various activities from the insurance perspective.
• However, the company cannot directly get involved in commercial activities such as risk inspection and management.
• The committee has also suggested that the proposed company could subsequently also expand to the areas of health and general insurance as well, with a broader perception once the full-term effects of the pandemic also plays out.
• The Company should collaborate with bodies such as Insurance Information Bureau of India as well as with various academic institutions, bodies dealing with insurance education and build synergies

About IRDAI

• Headquarters: Hyderabad
• Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

RBI releases guidelines for forming self-regulatory organisation in payments

• A recognised Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Payment System Operators (PSOs) has to work towards establishing minimum benchmarks, standards and help instil professional and healthy market behaviour among its members, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• As per RBI’s “Draft framework for recognition of a SRO for PSOs”, such an SRO shall promptly inform Reserve Bank about any violation of the provisions of the Payments and Settlement Systems Act that comes to its notice or any other regulation issued by RBI.
• The SRO, which will serve as a two-way communication channel between its members and Reserve Bank, will investigate any matter referred to by RBI. It shall establish a uniform grievance redressal and dispute management framework across its members.
• The SRO shall impart training to the staff of its members and others. It shall conduct awareness programmes for spreading safe digital transactions.
• An SRO is a non-governmental organisation that sets and enforces rules and standards relating to the conduct of entities in the industry (members) with the aim of protecting the customer and promoting ethics, equality, and professionalism.
• In its draft framework, the RBI emphasised that as the payment ecosystem matures and as the number of payments systems proliferate, it becomes necessary, in the interest of optimal use of regulatory resources, that the payments industry develops industry standards in respect of system security, pricing practices, customer protection measures and grievance redressal mechanisms.
• While self-regulation would release regulatory resources that can be better focused on issues of systemic importance, it would, by virtue of being developed by the industry itself, be more appropriate and encourage better compliance, the central bank stated.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Formation– 1 April 1935
• Governor– Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be appointed).

Edelweiss Tokio Life partners with Element AI for AI transformation journey

• Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has partnered with Element AI, a global developer of artificial intelligence-powered (AI) solutions and products, to develop a strategic AI roadmap for the new-age insurer and prioritise investments.
• The Element AI Advisory and Enablement team will work closely with Edelweiss Tokio Life to create an actionable roadmap for strategic AI deployment for the company, which will ultimately support a detailed AI transformation plan.
• This work will utilize unique learnings and insights from Element AI to establish technical feasibility and identify AI use cases.

About Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance Company Limited:

• Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer– Sumit Rai

About Element AI:

• CEO & Founder– Jean-François (JF) Gagné
• Headquarter – Montreal,Canada.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

World Bank sees higher GDP fall in India than 3.2% it projected for FY21

• The World Bank stated it was likely to project a steeper contraction in India’s economy than the 3.2 per cent it had forecast for the current financial year, given the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the resultant regional lockdowns. It cautioned India against using its tariff policy to attract firms seeking a shift away from China.
• In its report on India Development Update, 2020, it also warned that credit risks could play out as firms and households find it more difficult to service interest and repayment obligations. It called for full privatisation of some public sector banks and private capital injection in others.
• Despite India making progress in poverty reduction in recent years, the deadly virus has made half of the population vulnerable to be pushed to poverty, the report stated.
• It added, new information would have been incorporated, especially given the rising infections resulting in several state and district lockdowns. Further, the available high frequency indicators show that the economy is yet to revert to baseline.
• Various agencies and economists have provided varying figures for India’s GDP contraction for FY21. While former chief statistician Pronab Sen has pegged it at 12.5 per cent, ICRA had forecast 9.5 per cent and India Ratings 5.3 per cent.

About World Bank:

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S.
• President: David Malpass
• MD and CFO: Anshula Kant

Tata Capital launches ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans’ on WhatsApp

• Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group announced the launch of its new service called ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans’ (SIPL) on WhatsApp.
• The company will now allow its existing customers to instantly apply and receive sanctions for personal loans using Tata Capital’s chatbot TIA on WhatsApp.
• The chatbot was recently launched on WhatsApp as a service platform to facilitate customer requests including queries on EMI details or updating customer records.
• Customers can apply for Swift Insta Personal Loans through the company’s WhatsApp number for TIA.
• They can then select ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans ‘ from the Menu and verify themselves through a One- time Password (OTP).
• Post verification, they can choose the loan amount and await approval.‘(Provisional) Sanction for loan applied will be received instantly,’ Tata Capital stated.
• Post completion of the steps, details of the sanctioned SIPL amount will then be emailed to the customer’s registered email address.

About Tata Capital:

• CEO: Rajiv Sabharwal
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

”Dhanwantari Rath” to bring ayurveda at doorsteps of Delhi Police families

• A MoU was signed between the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and the Delhi Police for extending ayurvedic mode of preventive and promotive health services in the residential colonies of the force.
• These services will be provided by AIIA through a mobile unit named ”Dhanwantari Rath” and Police Wellness Centres.
• AYURAKSHA, a joint venture of AIIA, an autonomous institute under AYUSH ministry, and the Delhi police, aims to maintain the health of frontline COVID warriors through ayurvedic immunity boosting measures.
• In continuation of the project, Ayurveda Preventive and Promotive health care are now planned to be extended to the families of Delhi police personnel.

About AYUSH

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) – Shripad Yesso Naik
• Constituency: North Goa

Lokajat Yatra Begins In Uttarakhand

• 11-day Nanda Devi Lokajat yatra began in Uttarakhand.
• During this yatra, Goddess Nanda Devi would be taken from Siddhpeeth Nanda Devi Mandir to Chota Kailash.
• Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the 11-day yatra began from Kurud on August 14.

About Uttarakhand

• Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)
• Governor‎: ‎Baby Rani Maurya
• CM: Trivendra Singh Rawat

Chandigarh administration launches new website

• Environment Information System (ENVIS) of the Department of Environment of Chandigarh Administration has launched a new website. The URL of the website is http://chandigarhenvis.gov.in .
• Newly launched website has a fresh appearance & engaging features, and is developed on latest technologies. The website is accessible to all, especially to Divyangjan, under accessible India campaign.
• The website has the latest information about Environmental Notifications, Publications, Newsletters, Laws & Rules, Environment Education & Awareness and Activities Conducted by the Department. Additionally, the website is also linked with various services such as Parivesh Environment Clearance, Sameer, Solar Chandigarh.

MP govt to provide poor people Rs. one per kg wheat, rice, salt from Sept 1

• In Madhya Pradesh, all poor people of the state, who have not received ration from the Public Distribution System so far, will now get one rupee per kg wheat, rice and salt from September 1.
• 37 lakh beneficiaries of the state will be benefited by this decision of the government. Apart from this, 5 kg per person free ration will also be provided to poor families by November.
• The Chief Minister has instructed all the collectors to ensure that all new beneficiaries in their districts are issued eligibility slips and their Aadhaar seeding will be completed by August 31, so that they can get ration from September 1.

• Eligibility slips of new beneficiaries can be downloaded from the government’s M-ration app and portal. Similarly, under the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ scheme, now the beneficiary can get ration from any ration shop.

About Madhya Pradesh :

• Capital: Bhopal
• Governor: Anandiben Patel(additional charge)
• Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

J&K govt publishes its work done under ‘Back to Village (B2V)’ programme

• In a first of its kind, government of Jammu and Kashmir published its work done under ‘Back to Village (B2V)’ programme.
• All the 1930 projects finished during the financial year 2019-20 have been showcased in an e-book recently released by the Finance department. The same has been done to bring in transparency and accountability in the expenditure-making by the government departments.
• The e-book, depicting the pictorial images and other details of all the B2V works completed in previous year has been released to fetch the necessary feedback from the general public.
• The government is keen to draw feedback from the public so that they have say in the development process going in their areas. About 3 to 5 crore rupees were released to districts to enable them to meet urgent public demands raised during the B2V programme.
  Objectives Of B2V Programme
• The core objectives of B2V programme, as mentioned in the e-book was to energize Panchayati Raj Institutions towards efficient delivery of mechanisms related to various government schemes.
• It also helped in collecting feedback from public on government welfare schemes and developmental programmes.
• The visiting officers carried out first hand assessment of functioning of local Schools, Primary Health Centers, Anganwadi Centres, and other rural welfare offices and schemes.
• In the summer of 2019, the government started an initiative “Back to Village (B2V)”, a public outreach programme to bridge the gap between administration and common masses.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTALS

Tata Steel launches FerroHaat App for sourcing steel scrap

• Steel Recycling Business, a division of Tata Steel, has launched FerroHaat, a first-of-its-kind mobile application (App) in the world, to source steel scrap from the traders.
• The new App is a major step by the Company to organise India’s scrap market while also providing a reliable source of scrap metal for the Steel Industry.
• The FerroHaat App is a LIVE 24×7 market place to sell scrap.
• It is user friendly and hosts different sections like Bazaar for business transactions, Khaata for a snapshot of the supplier’s account, Samachaar for vital market information and Abhaar for recognition and appreciation initiatives.

About Tata Steel Ltd

• Headquarters: Mumbai
• CEO and Managing Director: T. V. Narendran

Google launches Kormo app in India to help people find jobs

• Tech giant Google has expanded its employment application – Kormo Jobs – to India as it is looking forward for helping millions of Indians to land entry-level jobs.
• The company had launched the employment application in Bangladesh in 2018 and further expanded it to Indonesia.
• Google had also made Kormo Jobs available in India under the brand Jobs as a Spot on its payment application – Google Pay.
• The application will help users to identify entry-level job opportunities and also to learn new skills and create CVs.

About Google

• CEO: Sundar Pichai
• Headquarters: California, United States

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

JCI & NSC inks MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in year 2021-22

• A Memorandum of Understanding, MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in the year 2021-22 was signed between Jute Corporation of India and National Seeds Corporation.
• Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani and Agriculture Minister  Narendra Singh Tomar witnessed the MoU signing ceremony through virtual mode.
• As an outcome of the MoU, Jute Corporation of India will distribute 10 thousand Quintals of certified jute seeds of JRO-204 variety in the 2021-22 crop year. Certified seeds from National Seeds Corporation will be purchased by Jute Corporation of India for this first ever commercial distribution operation.
• Five to six lakh farm families will be benefited and the spurious seed market will be reduced drastically.
• The increase in productivity will enhance the income of the farmers and will go a long way in reaching the target of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022.

AIFF signs MoU with IPSO to conduct online scouting workshops in India

• All India Football Federation (AIFF) has signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Professional Scouting Organisation (IPSO) to deliver a number of courses and webinars with regards to scouting in India.
• As per the agreement, information required for scouting and analysis will be provided to the attendees and arrangements of high-quality courses and webinars will be made.
• AIFF Head of Coach Education Savio Medeira believes that the scouting courses will eventually go on to help Indian football in the long run.
• IPSO Director Colin Chambers who has already conducted two scouting courses in India (in December 2019 and March 2020), believes that the course will help the attendees to get a better understanding of the foundations of talent identification.

About AIFF:

• President – Praful Patel
• Headquarters – Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Luis Abinader Sworn in as Dominican Leader

• Luis Rodolfo Abinader was sworn in as president of the Dominican Republic.
• Abinader, a 53-year-old businessman who had never held elected office, was elected to a four-year term on July 5, ending a 16-year run in power by a center-left party. He finished second in the 2016 presidential election.
• Abinader’s Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) won the elections with 53% vote, while Gonzalo Castillo who was the candidate of the ruling PLD got 37.7%.

About Dominican Republic

• Capital: Santo Domingo
• Currency: Dominican Peso.

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Resigns After Soldiers Mutiny

• Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has resigned, after being detained by soldiers.
• Mr Keïta won a second term in elections in 2018, but there has been anger over corruption, the mismanagement of the economy and a dispute over legislative elections. It has prompted several large protests in recent months.

About Mali

• Capital : Bamako
• Currency :West African CFA franc.

Kishor Rungta assumes charge as Chairman of Fertilisers Association of India

• Kishor Rungta, C&MD, The Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) has assumed charge as Chairman of Fertilisers Association of India, Southern Region (FAI SR).
• The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) is an elite body that represents the fertiliser manufacturers, distributors, importers, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and suppliers of inputs.
• The ‘FAI SR’ covers stakeholders from the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana.
• FAI aims to bring together all concerned with the production, marketing and use of fertilisers.
• The Regional Office focuses primarily on issues and has a continuous liaison with the fertiliser manufacturers operating in the region, the state governments and other local authorities.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Ganesh Vilas Lengare awarded Star 2020 Certificate by World Book of Records, London

• Solapur based social activist Ganesh Vilas Lengare has been awarded the Star 2020 Certificate by the World Book of Records, London.
• The organisation, found in 2017, honours personalities for their outstanding contribution towards humanity and universal peace.
• Out of the 21 schemes that were launched by him to assist the people, the most important was the COVID patient contact tracing, that was implemented with the help of Solapur district authorities.
• Besides providing masks and water bottles to migrant labourers, who were using Solapur-Pune highway to reach their home town in neighbouring states, Mr. Lengare also arranged free distribution of grocery and vegetables for the poor.
• The social activist thus spread a spirit of hope and positivity during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic.

Dwijing Festival Wins 5 Awards At WOW Awards Asia – 2020

• The successful fourth edition of the Dwijing Festival with over 15 lakh tourists attending the 12-day event has emerged as the winner in five categories at the prestigious WOW Awards Asia, 2020.The awards were won in the below-mentioned categories
• Rural Activation of the year.
• Special Event of the Year for Government/Federation/Association.
• Rural Engagement Property of the Year.
• Business/B-2-B/Knowledge-Exchange Property of the Year.
• Special Event of the Decade.
• The Dwijing Festival is an annual river festival celebrated in the BTAD region with various colourful events viz. ethnic trade and food festivals, exhibitions, games & sports, river campaign & adventure activities, and various cultural programs that make it a center of attraction and the New Year Festival.
• The festival is organized with the vision to encourage tourism, boost the will of the promising indigenous talent, and promote local products. The festival was also meant to provide help to the flood victim families through charity generation and distribution.
• The Assam Tourism had worked closely with the Dwijing Festival Organising Committee and Bodoland Tourism to make the fourth edition of the Dwijing Festival a great success.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

LS Speaker Om Birla attends inaugural ceremony of 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP).
• The two day Conference is being organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and the Parliament of Austria  with the support of the United Nations (UN).
• Members of Parliament Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Meenakashi Lekhi, both will also be attending the Conference.
• The theme of the Conference is Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet.
• The  Conference is being held in the backdrop of the current crisis of COVID-19 pandemic is expected to strengthen multilateralism and international cooperation in order to rebuild a better world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Indore in Madhya Pradesh declared as the cleanest city in national Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards

• Indore in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded as the cleanest city in the country in the Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards. The city bagged the position for the fourth consecutive time. The awards were presented by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a function held virtually.
• Among the towns along the banks of river Ganga, Varanasi has been awarded the cleanest town award. New Delhi has been awarded as the cleanest capital city in the country. Chhattisgarh was awarded the first place in the states with over 100 cities while Jharkhand bagged it for being the state in the category of states with less than 100 cities. Jalandhar Cantonment Board was conferred the cleanest cantonment board in the country. Ahmedabad in Gujarat was awarded for being the cleanest city with over 40 lakh population.
• 129 awards were handed over to the top performing cities and States in  Swachh Mahotsav event. Swachh Survekshan 2020’, was completed in 28 days and witnessed registration of 1 crore 70 lakh citizens on Swachhata App.
• Swachh Survekshan was introduced by the government with the objective of generating large-scale citizen participation in the Mission, along with inculcating a spirit of healthy competition among cities towards becoming India’s cleanest cities.
• The event also witnessed felicitation of Urban Development Ministry’s partner organisations including the United States Agency for International Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google. In the ‘Swachh Survekshan 2020’, Swachh Survekshan League, a quarterly cleanliness assessment of cities and towns was also introduced to ensure continuous assessment.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SCTIMST & IIT Madras start-up set up portable hospital infrastructure for COVID -19

• Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India in collaboration with ‘Modulus Housing’ a start-up incubated by IIT Madras has come up with a solution using decentralised approach to detect, manage and treat COVID-19 patients in local communities through portable microstructures.
• A portable microstructure named as “MediCAB”, which is modular, portable, durable, easy to set up and can be customised as per the requirements of the customer.
• It is foldable and is composed of four zones – a doctor’s room, an isolation room, a medical room/ward, and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure. It can be easily transported and installed anywhere in geographic locations and can be erected in just two hours with the help of four persons.
• The cabins in the MediCAB are tightly sealed and are dust-proof. It has in-built electricals, which are just plug-n-play. MediCAB can withstand harsh weather and heavy rains as well.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Penguin announces Sudha Murthy’s next book ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’

• The new book titled ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’ aims at entertaining children featuring 20 stories.
• Penguin Random House announced a new children’s book by author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy to mark her 70th birthday.
• The stories were penned to entertain children who were found themselves “homebound during these days, without school and holiday plans” amid the pandemic.
• The publishing house revealed the first look of the book which is slated for launch in November.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Indian Coast Guard Launches 27-Meter-Long Interceptor Boat In Surat

• A newly-built “Interceptor” boat of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was launched in
• Interceptor Boat ‘ICGS C-454’, built by Larsen and Toubro, was launched into the service of the Coast Guard.
• The 27-meter-long boat has a maximum speed of 45 nautical miles or 83 kilometers per hour, and has excellent seakeeping, maneuverability and endurance range of 500 nautical miles.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Veteran cricketer Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan passes away due to heart attack

• Veteran cricketer Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan passed away due to heart attack.
• Kasturirangan was a former cricketer-administrator and the BCCI curator. He had mostly played his matches for Mysore in Ranji Trophy as the right-arm medium pace bowler from 1948 to 1963.

‘Chariots of Fire’ star Ben Cross passes away

• British actor Ben Cross, best known for his starring role in the 1981 Oscar-winning sports drama ‘Chariots of Fire’ passed away.
• Cross, a veteran stage actor born in London, made his big-screen debut alongside Sean Connery and Michael Caine in Richard Attenborough’s 1977 World War II epic ‘A Bridge Too Far’.

DAILY CA 19th AUG

• World Photography Day- 19th august
• World Humanitarian Day-19th august
• Govt launches ‘Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge’
• Home Ministry approves renaming of Manduadih railway station in UP as Banaras
• Lakshmi Vilas Bank launches instant account opening facility
• Muthoot Finance, Kotak Mahindra General Insurance partner to offer COVID-19 cover
• Fino Payments Bank launches Aadhaar Auth based Digital Savings account to offer Neo-Banking Experience
• RBI releases framework for pan-India entity for retail payments
• PayMate launches full stack supply chain payments automation platform
• ADB approves USD 1 billion package for rapid transit system in India
• Xiaomi launches Mi For India initiative to distribute 2,500 phones to COVID-19 affected children
• Tech Mahindra launches Upskilling-as-a-service platform
• RIL picks majority stake in Netmeds for Rs 620 crore
• MP: ‘Ek Sankalp – Bujurgo ke naam’ campaign proves to be boon for senior citizens amid corona pandemic
• New Electronics Manufacturing Policy announced in UP
• IIM Kozhikode ties up with Swiss firm to support humanitarian work
• Nitin Gadkari launches portal for you to buy groceries directly from farmers along with these benefits
• Cricketer Rohit Sharma appointed Oakley’s brand ambassador in India
• Ashok Lavasa resigns as Election Commissioner; to join ADB as Vice President
• Dhanlaxmi Bank appoints 4 new directors to the Board
• Cyril George assumes charge as new Dy Chairman of Cochin Port Trust
• India ranks first in number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming
• IIT Madras bags 1st place in Atal Innovation ranking, 7 IITs among top 10
• Delhi, Chennai among cheapest cities to rent for couples and newly-weds
• One Arranged Murder’: Author Chetan Bhagat’s next to hit stands in September
• Astronomers find Milky Way look-alike galaxy 12 billion light-years away
• DRDO develops UV disinfection tower for sanitising coronavirus-prone areas
• Dream11 wins IPL title rights at 50 percent discount
• INOX Group to sponsor Indian team for Tokyo Olympics: IOA
• Director-actor Nishikant Kamat passes away at 50

DAILY CA 20th AUG

• World Mosquito Day- 20th august
• Sadbhavana Diwas- 20th august
• Indian Railways introduces drone-based surveillance system to protect railway assets
• Union Cabinet gives a go ahead to setting up of National Recruitment Agency, to benefit job seeking youth of the country
• UAE connects first Arab nuclear plant to power grid
• 41 lakh youth lost jobs in India due to COVID-19 impact, says ILO-ADB Report
• YES BANK launches digital `Loan against Securities` under the Loan in Seconds platform for instant loan disbursements
• IRDAI group recommends setting up loss prevention entity for non-life insurers
• RBI releases guidelines for forming self-regulatory organisation in payments
• Edelweiss Tokio Life partners with Element AI for AI transformation journey
• World Bank sees higher GDP fall in India than 3.2% it projected for FY21
• Tata Capital launches ‘Swift Insta Personal Loans’ on WhatsApp
• ”Dhanwantari Rath” to bring ayurveda at doorsteps of Delhi Police families
• Lokajat Yatra Begins In Uttarakhand
• Chandigarh administration launches new website
• MP govt to provide poor people Rs. one per kg wheat, rice, salt from Sept 1
• J&K govt publishes its work done under ‘Back to Village (B2V)’ programme
• Tata Steel launches FerroHaat App for sourcing steel scrap
• Google launches Kormo app in India to help people find jobs
• JCI & NSC inks MoU to provide certified good quality seeds to jute farmers in year 2021-22
• AIFF signs MoU with IPSO to conduct online scouting workshops in India
• Luis Abinader Sworn in as Dominican Leader
• Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Resigns After Soldiers Mutiny
• Kishor Rungta assumes charge as Chairman of Fertilisers Association of India
• Ganesh Vilas Lengare awarded Star 2020 Certificate by World Book of Records, London
• Dwijing Festival Wins 5 Awards At WOW Awards Asia – 2020
• LS Speaker Om Birla attends inaugural ceremony of 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
• Indore in Madhya Pradesh declared as the cleanest city in national Swachh Survekshan 2020 awards
• SCTIMST & IIT Madras start-up set up portable hospital infrastructure for COVID -19
• Penguin announces Sudha Murthy’s next book ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories’
• Indian Coast Guard Launches 27-Meter-Long Interceptor Boat In Surat
• Veteran cricketer Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan passes away due to heart attack
• ‘Chariots of Fire’ star Ben Cross passes away