CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Lung Cancer Day
- World Lung Cancer Day is observed on August 1 to raise awareness about the causes and treatment of lung cancer and to highlight the issues that a lack of sufficient research funding can create.
- The campaign was first organised in 2012 by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, in collaboration with the International Association for the study of Lung Cancer and also the American College of Chest Physicians.
World Sanskrit Day
- The World Sanskrit Day is being celebrated on Aug 3rd .
- Sanskrit is the ancient language of India. It has a documented history of nearly 3,500 years, is stated to be the primary liturgical language of the Hindu culture. World Sanskrit Day is celebrated on Shravana poornima which is Poornima day of Shravana month as per the Hindu calendar. This year, Sanskrit Day falls on August 3.
- This Indo-Aryan language has been declared as a classical language that’s identified for its scientific construction and is in excessive demand throughout the world.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Housing minister Hardeep Puri launches digital platforms to market residential properties
- Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched digital platforms of real estate bodies CREDAI and NAREDCO to market residential properties, besides releasing a guide book for affordable rental housing scheme for migrants.
- The minister launched ‘CREDAI Awaas App’ and NAREDCO’s onlineportal ‘HousingforAll.com’ through a video conference.
- Puri released the knowledge pack of the government’s ‘Affordable Rental Housing Complexes’ (ARHCs) programme, which has been recently launched to provide rental accommodations to migrant and urban poor.
- The ARHCs scheme, which has been launched under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, will help in providing dignified and affordable living spaces for urban migrants/ poor in need.
- CREDAI Awaas App is a residential project discovery online platform through which buyers will be able to virtually explore and experience the projects from 220 cities across the country. The app aims to facilitate transparent home buying in India of RERA approved projects by CREDAI developers.
About MoHUA
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairsand Civil Aviation: Hardeep Singh Puri
- Constituency: Uttar Pradesh
Narendra Singh Tomar releases booklet on Best Practices in Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme
- Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar released a booklet on “Best Practices in Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP)” of Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Ministry of Rural Development based on the presentations made by the States during Regional and National workshops since inception of the programme.
- This publication lists various ‘good practices’ followed in land records modernisation across national policy framework and in nine study states namely Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
- It also covers the gaps in implementation of different processes (such as registration, mutation, survey, settlement, land acquisition), technological initiatives and legal and institutional aspects.Substantial progress has been achieved under the Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme (DILRMP) since its inception.
- Computerization of Land Records has been completed (more than 90%) in 23 States/ UTs and substantial progress has been achieved in 11 States/ UTs.
- Digitization of Cadastral Maps has been completed (more than 90%) in 19 States/ UTs and substantial progress has been achieved in 9 States/ UTs.
- Computerization of Registration (SRO) has been completed (more than 90%) in 22 States/ UTs and substantial progress has been achieved in 8 States/ UTs.
- Integration of SRO with Revenue Office has been completed (more than 90%) in 16 States/ UTs and substantial progress has been achieved in 8 States/ UTs.
About MoRD
- Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Minister of Rural Development: Narendra Singh Tomar
- Constituency: Morena,MP
Nitin Gadkari inaugurates upstream carriageway of Mahatma Gandhi bridge over river Ganga in Bihar
- Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the upstream carriageway of Mahatma Gandhi bridge over river Ganga in Bihar through video conference.
- Over 5 kilometres long, the four lane bridge lies on NH-19 between Patna and Hajipur.
- It is being constructed at a cost of one thousand 742 crore rupees.
- It involves replacement of the existing concrete superstructure of old bridge by new steel deck superstructure. The work on the bridge was started in June 2017.
- A new 5 km long, 4-lane Bridge over river Ganga in parallel to MG Setu, was also announced by Nitin Gadkari to facilitate movement of ships under it.
- It will cost about three thousand crore rupees.
About MoRTH
- Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Minister of Shipping and MSME: Nitin Jairam Gadkari
- Constituency: Nagpur, Maharashtra
About Bihar
- Capital: Patna
- Governor: Phagu Chauhan
- Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
Government launches programme for artisans involved in manufacturing of agarbatti
- The government (MSME Ministry) has approved a programme for the benefit of artisans involved in manufacturing of agarbatti and to develop village industry under the ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’.
- Initially four pilot projects will be started as part of the programme, including one in the North East.
- This decision will help to boost the indigenous production of agarbatti and will pave way to generate rural employment.
- This will also start the process of mitigating the gap between the indigenous production and demand and will reduce import of agarbatti in the country.
- Each targeted cluster of artisans will be supported with about 50 automatic agarbatti making machines and 10 mixing machines. Accordingly, a total of 200 automatic agarbatti making machines and 40 mixing machines will be provided to the artisans.
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), will provide training, and assist artisans working in this area, with Agarbatti manufacturing machines.
- KVIC will tie up with khadi institutions and agarbatti manufacturers in the country, having good track record, to provide work and raw material to agarbatti making artisans.
About KVIC
- Chairman: Vinai Kumar Saxena
- Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Amit Shah inaugurates international webinar on 'Lokmanya Tilak - Swaraj to Self-reliant India' organized by ICCR
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day international webinar on the theme of ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’ organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on the 100th death anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
- In his address, Mr Shah stated that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a key role in the making of the Indian Independence movement complete in letter and spirit. The Home Minister stated that the slogan of ‘Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it’ given by Lokmanya Tilak, will always be written in golden letters in the history of the Indian Independence Movement.
- Mr Shah stated that this slogan may seem natural to utter in our times, but in the 19th century very few people could have dared of uttering it and sacrificing their life and working for it to make it turn into reality. Mr Shah further stated that Tilak’s idea of India as a nation, Indian culture and Indian customs are equally relevant.
