CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS
Government introduces digital tools to improve logistics efficiency, sustainability
- The government has launched the Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) along with a Calculator for GreenHouse Gas Emission to improve ease of doing business, logistics efficiency, reduce logistics cost, and promote multi-modality and sustainability.
- “These digital initiatives have been launched to fill the gap areas where no action has yet been taken either by private players or any of the line ministries”.
About SLDE:
- The SLDE platform is a solution to replace the present manual process of generation, exchange and compliance of logistics documents with a digitized, secure and seamless document exchange system.
Lok Sabha passed General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021
- Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the general-insurance law and allow the government to offload its stake in state-run insurance corporations, clearing its first hurdle without discussion as Parliament continued to witness pandemonium.
- The General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Amendment Bill, 2021 seeks to permit the government to cut its stake in prominent state-owned general insurance corporations, helping achieve its divestment targets.
- Divestment refers to the government’s selling of part of its ownership in state-run corporations.
- The Bill aims to amend the parent Act, The General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act, 1972.
- Lok Sabha proceedings witnessed disruption by opposition members and had to be adjourned.
About Nationalization:
- Nationalization is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state.
- Nationalization usually refers to private assets or to assets owned by lower levels of government being transferred to the state.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nikol Pashinyan Re-appointed as Armenia PM
- Nikol Pashinyan has been re-appointed as Armenia’s Prime Minister by President Armen Sarkissian.
- Pashinyan’s appointment came after he was re-nominated by the Civil Contract party, which won a majority of the seats in the June 21 parliamentary elections, reports Xinhua news agency.
- Pashinyan was first appointed as the prime minister in 2018.
- He announced he would resign in April to pave the way for the scheduled snap parliamentary elections as well as to solve the tensions between himself, the Armenian Army’s General Staff Onik Gasparyan and the opposition parties.
About Armenia:
- Capital: Yerevan
- Currency: Armenian dram
- President: Armen Sargsyan
New hotline set up in Sikkim between Indian Army, China’s PLA
- A hotline was established between the Indian Army in Kongra La, North Sikkim, and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Khamba Dzong in the Tibetan Autonomous Region to further the spirit of trust and cordiality between the two forces along the Indo-China border.
- The event, which coincided with 2021’s PLA Day on August 1, happened a day after the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talksbetween India and China which took place to resolve the 14-month-long Ladakh standoff.
- “The armed forces of the two countries have well-established mechanisms for communication at ground commanders’ level.
About the hotline:
- These hotlines in various sectors go a long way in enhancing the same and maintaining peace and tranquility at the borders”.
- The inauguration of the new hotline was attended by ground commanders of the respective Armies and a message of friendship and harmony was exchanged through the line.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS
GST Collections reached Rs.1.16 Lakh Crore in July 2021
- The Goods and Service Tax (GST) collections for the month of July 2021 registered an increase of 33 percent compared to the collections of Rs 87,422 crore in the month of July in 2020.
- The numbers indicated the economic activity picking up in the last month with states gradually easing lockdowns after the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
- In June, GST collections registered the lowest amount in 10 months as Rs 92,849 tax received for selling activity in May 2021.
- June 2021 was the first time that GST collections were below the Rs 1 lakh crore in the last 8 months.
- Of the gross GST revenue collected in July 2021, which is the combined central and state GST collection, Rs 22,197 crore was central GST while state GST amounted to Rs 28,541 crore.
- Rs 57,864 crore was Integrated GST (which includes Rs 27,900 crore from imports) and Rs 7,790 crore (includes Rs 815 crore on imports) collected as cess, the Ministry revealed.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS
PhonePe unveiled UPI-based AutoPay functionality for mutual fund SIP investments
- PhonePe, India’s largest digital payments company, announced the launch of UPI based AutoPay functionality for it’s mutual fund investment offerings that will allow its customers to set up their Mutual Fund SIPs in just a few seconds.
- This makes PhonePe the first digital investment platform to introduce this feature in the country.
- With UPI Autopay, PhonePe customers can set up their SIPs in just 3 steps: Select Fund, Input Monthly SIP Investment amount, and authenticate with UPI PIN making it a first of its kind experience for millions of users across India.
- It also furthers PhonePe’s vision to continually enhance the end-to-end customer experience while catering to their needs in building the investment portfolio of their choice.
- The SIP through UPI AutoPay option is available for all existing and new investors on the PhonePe app.
About PhonePe:
- PhonePe is an Indian digital payments and financial services company headquartered in Bangalore, India.
- PhonePe was founded in December 2015, by Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari and Burzin Engineer.
- The PhonePe app, based on the Unified Payments Interface, went live in August 2016.
- PhonePe is 100% safe and secure.
- It is powered by Yes Bank.
- All payments happen over secure banking networks and the app does not store any user data or passwords.
- All you need to do for every transaction is enter your MPIN.
- Parent organization: Flipkart
- CEO: Sameer Nigam
- Headquarters: Bengaluru
‘Fish Andhra’ brand: Bank of Baroda supports Andhra Pradesh state government in setting up 100 aqua hubs
- The State Department of Fisheries designed a novel scheme under the brand name “Fish Andhra” by establishing aqua hubs in line with Pradhana Mantri Mathsya Sampadha Yojana (PMMSY), a central government scheme.
- The Bank of Baroda is supporting the implementation of the project.
- Commissioner (Fisheries) K Kanna Babu and Bank of Baroda, Vijayawada region, deputy general manager Ch Raja Sekhar stated a well-structured design and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been devised for implementation of the Fish Andhra Project through the Bank of Baroda as a sole banker across AP.
- Under the project, 100 aqua hubs would be set up and around 14,000 outlets of different sizes and nature would be set up across the State.
- The concept involves the setting up of a hub and spokes model.
- Each aqua hub constitutes 140 beneficiaries and the project cost is Rs 5.50 crore.
About BOB:
- Bank of Baroda is an Indian government owned banking and financial services company.
- It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
- Headquarters: Alkapuri, Vadodara
- Merged banks: Vijaya bank, Dena Bank
- Tagline: India’s International Bank
SBI initiates ‘SIM Binding’ feature for YONO
- To safeguard the interest of its customers, Country’s largest Lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a new and enhanced security feature – ‘SIM Binding’ in YONO and YONO Lite app.
- The new version of these platforms will protect customers from various digital frauds.
- With the SIM Binding feature, YONO and YONO Lite will work only on those devices which have the SIM Card of mobile numbers registered with the Bank.
- To get access to the new version of YONO and YONO Lite, users will have to update their mobile app and complete the one-time registration process on these Apps.
- The registration process verifies the SIM of the Registered Mobile Number (RMN) with the bank in order to complete the registration.
- Customers will have to ensure that they register with the device which has the SIM of the registered contact number.
About SBI:
- SBI maintains thousands of branches throughout India and offices in dozens of countries throughout the world.
- Old name of SBI bank is Imperial Bank of India.
- History: 2 June 1806 Bank of Calcutta, 15 April 1840 Bank of Bombay, 1 July 1843 Bank of Madras, 27 January 1921 Imperial Bank of India ,1 July 1955 State Bank of India.
- Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Tagline: Pure banking nothing else ; With you all the way; The Nation banks on us; A Bank to the common man; A banker to every Indian.
LIC Cards Services and IDBI Bank jointly launch RuPay credit cards Lumine, Eclat
- LIC Cards Services Limited (LIC-CSL) has partnered with IDBI Bank to launch ‘Lumine’ Platinum Credit Card and ‘Eclat’ Select Credit Card on the RuPay platform.
- The cards will initially be available to LIC policyholders, agents, as well as employees of the corporation and its subsidiaries.
- Aim is to enhance the value of digital transactions by providing a variety of benefits/cards thereby saving time and cost of transactions for both buyer and recipient.
- LIC CSL has a vision to be the top Brand in Cards and Digital Payments, catering to all segments with geographical spread across the Country”.
- The cards will offer a wide range of benefits to users.
- Lumine and Eclat cardholders will have a credit limit that suits their lifestyles.
- The cardholders will earn 3 ‘delight’ points on every spend of Rs 100 via the Lumine card and 4 points on the Eclat card.
- The cards also offer special benefits of 2x reward points while paying renewal insurance premium of LIC.
About LIC:
- Life Insurance Corporation of India is an Indian government owned insurance and Investment Corporation.
- It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
- Chairperson: M R Kumar
- Founder: Government of India
- Founded: 1 September 1956
- Headquarters: Mumbai
Govt may get defers sale of two PSU banks to next year
- The Narendra Modi-led Union government’s attempts to sell two public sector banks may get deferred to the financial year as no approval has been taken from Parliament for making changes in laws required to initiate the deals.
- The finance ministry is yet to work out the modalities to seek approval from lawmakers for the sale, leaving little time for the process to be completed this year.
- In February this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated the government will seek buyers for two state-run banks by March 2022.
- She made the statement while presenting the Budget for the current financial year.
- In June, government think-tank Niti Aayog had submitted a list of public sector banksthat are to be privatized in the current fiscal year to the Core Group of Secretaries on Disinvestment.
RBI’s New Rules on Interchange Fee and make available 24/7 Bulk Clearing Facility Functional
- The Reserve Bank of India’s new directions on raising interchange fee and making available the facility of bulk clearing round the clock have become effective on Aug 01.
- The RBI in June raised the interchange fee for financial transactions from Rs 15 to Rs 17, while for non-financial transactions the increase was from Rs 5 to Rs 6.
- These new rates have become applicable from August 1, 2021, as per the RBI’s direction.
- An interchange fee is a fee charged by banks to the merchant who processes a credit card or debit card payment.
- Besides, National Automated Clearing House (NACH) has been made available on all days of the week, effective August 1, 2021.
GyanDhan gets NBFC licence from RBI
- GyanDhan, India’s first education financing platform stated it has received an NBFC license from the Reserve Bank of India and it aims to disburse Rs 650 crore worth of education loans in FY22.
- Out of this, Rs 50 crore will be for domestic short-term courses offered by various ed-tech players and coaching institutes.
- The Delhi-based, digital-first company has already partnered companies including Great learning and various IAS institutions to offer interest-free education loans to prospective students wanting to pursue short-term courses.
- “Till now, we have disbursed more than Rs1000 crore in total.
- The NBFC license will allow us to design new loan solutions that meet the customers’ needs.
HDFC Bank introduces ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme’
- India’s largest private lender HDFC Bank launched an overdraft facility for small retailers in partnership with the government’s e-governance services delivery arm CSC SPV that enables government schemes and services through common service centres (CSCs).
- The ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme’ by HDFC Bank is aimed at helping shopkeepers and merchants ease their cash crunch.
- Retailers operating for a minimum of three years are eligible for the scheme by providing a six months bank statement from any bank.
- HDFC Bank will approve an overdraft limit from a minimum of Rs 50,000 to a maximum of Rs 10 lakhs.
- Importantly, HDFC Bank won’t seek collateral security, business financials, and income tax returns from retailers who apply for the scheme.
About HDFC:
- HDFC Bank Limited is an Indian banking and financial services company, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- HDFC Bank is India’s largest private sector bank by assets and by market capitalization as of April 2021.
- It is the third largest company by market capitalization on the Indian stock exchanges.
- CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Tagline: We understand your World.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS
Bvlgari appointed Priyanka Chopra as its global brand ambassador
- Bvlgari has added Priyanka Chopra Jonas as one of its brand ambassadors.
- The actress-producer will support the Roman high jewellery house in the amplification of its brand around the world, with a particular focus on the themes of women empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
- The company stated India holds a special place in the hearts at Bvlgari, since it doesn’t only offer a continuous source of inspiration, but that it provides them with some of the most precious gems of nature to craft our creations, from jewellery to fragrances, says Bvlgari chief executive officer Jean-Christophe Babin.
Mini Ipe appointed as new Managing Director of LIC
- Mini Ipe took charge as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India on 2nd August, 2021.
- She was appointed as Managing Director vide Government of India.
- Mini Ipe is a post graduate in Commerce from Andhra University and has joined LIC in 1986 as a Direct Recruit Officer.
About Mini Ipe :
- She has rich and diverse experience in LIC having worked in various capacities.
- Prior to taking charge as Managing Director, she was Executive Director, Legal Department, LIC of India.
- Mini Ipe was the first woman Zonal Manager (In-charge) of LIC and headed SCZO, Hyderabad.
- She has also worked as Executive Director (International Operations), Director & CEO of LICHFL Financial Services Ltd. and was instrumental in taking LICHFL Financial Services Ltd. to new heights in business revenue and profits during her tenure.
- She has also worked as Regional Manager (P&IR) and Regional Manager (Estate) of Western Zone.
Upendra Tripathy appointed as OAVS chairman
- Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appointed Upendra Tripathy, a retired IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, as advisor-cum-working president and chairman of executive committee of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan with the status and rank of Minister of State.
- The 1980 IAS officer of Karnataka cadre will also discharge the duties of Principal Advisor (Education) to Chief Minister.
- Tripathy has been given the charge following the demise of Bijay Sahoo, founder-cum-chairman of SAI International Education Group, who was also the Advisor-cum-Working President of OAVS. Sahoo had succumbed to COVID-related complications.
- He brings in both global and local experience and expertise from across the world into the Adarsha School Sangathan.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS
Indian Bank signs MoU with IIT Bombay
- State-owned Indian Bank entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay – an initiative of Indian Institute of Technology – for extending exclusive credit facility to startups and small businesses.
- SINE, IIT Bombay, supports the MSME sector by providing joint research and development arrangements and technical and financial support for incubation and acceleration of high-end technology products.
- Indian Bank stated startups require funds to expand and grow, and one of the most common problems they face is maintaining positive cash flow.
- Under the MoU, SINE, IIT Bombay will identify the start-ups and MSMEs based on their credentials and past experience and will refer the list of such members who require financial assistance to the bank.
About Indian Bank:
- Indian Bank is an Indian nationalized financial services and banking company.
- It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of India, established in 1907 and headquartered in Chennai, India.
- Headquarters: Chennai
- CEO: Padmaja Chunduru
CII enters into agreement with SII
- Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, has entered into an agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) to speed up the vaccination program in partnership with industry including health care providers.
- The vaccination drive will target communities in the country’s small towns and rural areas to increase the coverage.
- CII and SII partnership will ensure to connect hospitals and corporates to fast track vaccination which is necessary for post pandemic growth of the country.
- SII CEO Adar Poonawala, partnering with industry will help in reaching out to the communities in the hinterlands within a short period of time.
About CII:
- The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in New Delhi, India founded in 1895.
- CII engages business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. It is a membership-based organisation.
- President: V. Narendran
About SII:
- Serum Institute of India is an Indian biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals company.
- It is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines located in the city of Pune, India and was founded by Cyrus Poonawalla in 1966.
- The company is a subsidiary of the holding company Poonawalla Investment and Industries.
- CEO: Adar Poonawalla
- Founder: Cyrus S. Poonawalla
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES
G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting : Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi leads Indian delegation
- On July 30, 2021, On behalf of the Government of India, Meenakashi Lekhi, Hon’ble Minister of State for Culture of India participated in the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting
- The two day meeting hosted by Italy on July 29 & 30, 2021, during their ongoing Presidency of G20 in 2021.
Highlights of the Meeting :
- During the G20 meeting the Discussion was held on Protection of Cultural Heritage; Addressing the Climate Crisis through Culture; Building Capacity through Training and Education; Digital Transition and New Technologies for Culture; and Culture and Creative Sectors as drivers for growth.
- Meenakashi Lekhi, explained the various measures taken by India to develop the culture and creative sectors like the One District One Product scheme of Government of Uttar Pradesh, Tourism circuits, promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda etc.
- Finally, the G20 Ministers of Culture adopted the G20 Culture Working Group Terms of Reference.
About Ministry of Culture :
- Headquarters: C Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi
- Cabinet Minister : Kishan Reddy
- Minister of State : Meenakshi Lekhi
- Under the Ministry, Recently the government has established the National Mission on Libraries India
India takes over UNSC Presidency for August
- India has assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August.
- This is the first presidency for India during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member of the UNSC.
- India will organise three high-level signature meetings focussing on maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism.
- India will also coordinate important meetings on a range of issues.
Note :
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian PM to preside over a meeting during New Delhi’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
About UNSC :
- Headquarters: New York, United States
- Founded: 24 October 1945
CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX
Fortune Global 500 list : Seven Indian Companies Feature ; topped by Walmart of US
- On August 02, 2021, Fortune’s Global 500 list, Seven Indian companies were found.
- Globally, Walmart has topped the list with a revenue of USD 524 billion for the eighth consecutive year and the 16th time since 1995.
- Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd slipped 59 places to rank 155th position with revenues of nearly $63 billion.
- On the other hand China has dominated this year’s list for the highest number of companies featuring in the list at 143, including those from Taiwan & this is followed by the U.S. with 122, and Japan with a total of 53, respectively.
Top 10 Global Companies in the list are as follows:
- Walmart (US) - USD 524 billion
- State Grid (China) – USD 384 billion
- com (US) – USD 280 billion
- China National Petroleum (China)
- Sinopec (China)
- Apple (US)
- CVS Health (US)
- UnitedHealth Group (US)
- Toyota Motor (Japan)
- Volkswagen (Germany)
List of Seven Indian Companies :
- Reliance Industries -155
- State Bank of India – 205 ( second straight year of SBI improving its ranking )
- Indian Oil – 212
- Oil & Natural Gas – 243
- Rajesh Exports – 348
- Tata Motors – 357
- Bharat Petroleum – 394
About Fortune Global 500 :
- It is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue.
- The list is compiled and published annually by Fortune
- Companies are ranked by total revenues for their respective fiscal years ended on or before March 31, 2021.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS
New book titled ‘In An Ideal World’ authored by Novelist Kunal Basu to release in 2022
- Renowned novelist Kunal Basu has announced his new novel named ‘In An Ideal World’ expected to release in early 2022.
- The novel is published by Penguin Random House India.
About the Book :
- The Novel is a powerful, gritty and fast-paced literary novel exploring a variety of themes relevant to the current times of college, politics, family, crime investigation and fanaticism.
About Kunal Basu :
- Kunal Basu is an Indian author of English fiction
- He has written five novels – The Opium Clerk (2001), The Miniaturist (2003), Racists (2006), The Yellow Emperor’s Cure (2011) Kalkatta (2015) and Sarojini’s Mother (2020).
- Basu has also written four Bengali novels – Rabi-Shankar (2016), Bairer Dorja (2017), Tejoswini O Shabnam (2018) and Angel(2020).
A New Book Titled My Own Mazagon authored by Captain Ramesh Babu
- Captain Ramesh Babu has authored a New Book Titled My Own Mazagon.
- The Book will be jointly released by Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad, (Retd.), CMD Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.
- The Book was Published by Indus Source Books.
About the Book :
- The Book rediscovers the forgotten history of Mazagon and resurrects the identity of Maza Gaon, or ‘My own Village’.
About Captain Ramesh Babu :
- Captain Ramesh Babu retired from Mumbai after serving the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS
Sri Lanka all-rounder Isuru Udana retires from international cricket
- 33 year old Sri Lanka left-arm fast bowling all-rounder Isuru Udana announced his retirement from international cricket effective immediately.
- Udana played 21 ODIs (18 wickets ) and 35 T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 45 wickets across both the formats.
- He was also part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020, conducted in the UAE.
2021 Hungarian Grand Prix : Esteban Ocon wins
- On Aug 01, 2021, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon won the Hungarian Grand Prix 2021, held at Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary.
- This is the maiden F1 race win for Esteban Ocon.
- Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes/Germany) came second followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) finished third.
- With this win Lewis Hamilton took the Formula One championship lead from Max Verstappen.
- In 2020, Esteban Ocon achieved his first podium in Formula One by finishing second at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
About Hungarian Grand Prix :
- The Hungarian Grand Prix is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród.
- It was the eleventh round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship
Indian women’s hockey team qualifying for Olympic Games semifinals for first time
- For the first time, the Indian women’s hockey team defeated three time championship Australia in the quarter-final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- The team will play Argentina in the semi-final on August 4.
- After a gap of 49-years, Indian men’s hockey team also entered the Olympic semi-finals.
- Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur rose to the occasion when it mattered and converted India’s lone penalty corner in the 22nd minute to surprise the Australians.
- Indian Women Team is led by Rani Rampal.
- India’s best performance in the Olympics came way back in the 1980 Moscow Games where they finished fourth out of six teams.
Note :
- Odisha, being the cradle of hockey, is also the only state that is promoting a national game in the entire country to help India regain its dominance in global hockey.
CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES
Man Kaur World Masters gold medal winner Passes away
- On July 31, 2021, Six-time world masters championship gold medallist & multiple Asian Masters Championship medallist athlete Man Kaur Passed away.
- She was 105 years old.
About Man Kaur :
- Born on March 1, 1916.
- She is from Patiala, Punjab, started as an athlete at the age of 93.
- Kaur was known as the “Miracle Mom from Chandigarh.”
- She became the oldest person to skywalk at Auckland’s sky tower.
- She won her first medal in the Chandigarh Masters Athletics meet in 2007.
- She won the gold in 100 m as well 200 m race in the National Masters Athletics meet in 2011.
- Also, Kaur would become the 100 m and 200 m champion in the World Masters Athletics Championships in the USA & he was adjudged the best athlete.
- In 2012, She won gold in the 100m sprint in the asian masters athletics championship in taiwan
- In 2013, in the Canadian Masters Athletics Meet She won five gold medals.
- In 2016 she participated in the American Master games and won 4 gold medals in that event.
- In 2017, In the World Masters Athletics Championships, she achieved the feat of becoming the champion in the 100 m in the 100+ category in Auckland.
- In 2018, She ran her way to 100m & 200m gold at the world masters meet in spain.
- In 2019, Kaur won four gold medals in the world master athletics championship in tourn, Poland.
Achievements :
- On 8 March International Women’s Day 2020 she was handed the Nari Shakti Puraskar
Daily CA On Aug 01 & 02 :
- Muslim Women Rights Day is observed on August 1 & this year marks the second anniversary of that historical bill which is officially known as the Muslim Women Act (Protection of Rights on Marriage) passed in the Rajya Sabha.
- World Breastfeeding Week is an annual celebration which is held every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries & the theme for breastfeeding week is “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility”.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the policymakers and stakeholders across the country via video conferencing to mark the completion of one year of announcing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh released “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines” developed by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.
- The Rajya Sabha passed the Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to create the post of ‘non-executive chairman’ for the board.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the IPS probationers at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA).
- Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya launched National Health Adaptation Plan on Air Pollution
- NITI Aayog and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have successfully completed the two month long, exclusive and digital skills entrepreneurship which is named ATL Tinkerprenuer summer bootcamp and was held across India.
- Guido Bellido named as new Prime Minister of Peru
- On July 28, Peru will commemorate 200 years of independence from the erstwhile Spanish Empire.
- The first goods train carrying stone chips to Bangladesh through the revived Haldibari -Chilahati rail link will leave from Damdim station of Alipurduar Division in Northeast Frontier Railway, 31 July.
- A hotline was established between Indian Army at Kongra La in North Sikkim and the People’s Liberation Army of China at Khamba Dzong in Tibetan Autonomous Region.
- Ismail Haniyeh re-elected as leader of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip
- To end a 14 months long standoff near LAC, India and china hold another level of high-level military talks on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation organisation conference in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on July 14
- The State Administration Council of Myanmar has been reformed as ‘Caretaker government of Myanmar’ headed by the Chief of the Myanmar military Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as the Prime Minister.
- The US administration has imposed sanctions on Cuba’s police force and two of its leaders following recent protests on the island against the communist government.
- The central government’s fiscal deficit stood at Rs 2.74 lakh crore or 18.2 percent of the full year’s Budget estimate at the end of June.
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the flagship payments platform of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), made a record in volume and value of transactions in July as digital payments rise in the pandemic.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a new digital payment solution –e-RUPI through video conferencing.
- Civil Accounts Service officer Deepak Das took charge as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) under the Department of Expenditure.
- Vice Admiral N. Ghormade took over as Deputy Chief of Naval who succeeds Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumarwho retired on July 31, 2021, after more than 39 years of service.
- Businessman Cyrus Poonawalla, who is the founder-chairperson of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), has been named as a recipient of the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021.
- Mumbai-based graphic artist Anand Radhakrishnan, 32, has won the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, considered the Oscars equivalent of the comics world.
- Sai Life Sciences Wins Golden Peacock National Training Award 2021.
- Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, has been awarded ‘IMC RBNQ Efficiency Excellence Trophy 2020’ in the healthcare sector from IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj Nationwide High quality Award Belief,
- Business payments and financial services startup Razorpay has acquired artificial intelligence (AI)-based risk analysis platform TERA Finlabs, marking its third acquisition since its inception.
- The 6th meeting of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) was held virtually on 28-29 July 2021 under the Chairship of India. Mr. Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs chaired the meeting.
- The first G20 Culture Ministers Meeting was held in Rome, Italy.
- Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh stated The ISRO-NASA joint mission NISER (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, aimed at making global measurement of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging, is proposed to be launched in early 2023.
- To detect cancerous mutations in the body, Researchers from Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, have developed a machine learning model on an Artificial Intelligence tool named NBDriver (neighbourhood driver).
- Russia successfully launched the Multipurpose Laboratory Module called Nauka to the International Space Station atop a Proton-M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
- Former Cricketer Michael Anthony Holding Authored a Book titled Why We Kneel, How We Rise.
- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected SpaceX for the Europa Clipper mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
- Hockey India (HI) has launched its own player-oriented web-based engagement platform, the ‘Heroes Connect’.
- 28 years old judoka Clarisse Agbégnénou (France) won the gold medal in the women’s -63 kg weight class by defeating Slovenian Tina Trstenjak in the final.
- On August 01,2021, Indian badminton player PV Sindhu defeated China’s He Bingjiao to win the bronze medal in women’s singles event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Daily CA On Aug 03 :
- The government has launched the Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) along with a Calculator for GreenHouse Gas Emission to improve ease of doing business, logistics efficiency, reduce logistics cost, and promote multi-modality and sustainability.
- Lok Sabha passed a Bill to amend the general-insurance law and allow the government to offload its stake in state-run insurance corporations, clearing its first hurdle without discussion as Parliament continued to witness pandemonium.
- Nikol Pashinyan has been re-appointed as Armenia’s Prime Minister by President Armen Sarkissian.
- A hotline was established between the Indian Army in Kongra La, North Sikkim, and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Khamba Dzong in the Tibetan Autonomous Region to further the spirit of trust and cordiality between the two forces along the Indo-China border.
- The Goods and Service Tax (GST) collections for the month of July 2021 registered an increase of 33 percent compared to the collections of Rs 87,422 crore in the month of July in 2020.
- PhonePe, India’s largest digital payments company, announced the launch of UPI based AutoPay functionality for it’s mutual fund investment offerings that will allow its customers to set up their Mutual Fund SIPs in just a few seconds.
- The State Department of Fisheries designed a novel scheme under the brand name “Fish Andhra” by establishing 100 aqua hubs in line with Pradhana Mantri Mathsya Sampadha Yojana (PMMSY), a central government scheme.
- To safeguard the interest of its customers, Country’s largest Lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a new and enhanced security feature – ‘SIM Binding’ in YONO and YONO Lite app.
- LIC Cards Services Limited (LIC-CSL) has partnered with IDBI Bank to launch ‘Lumine’ Platinum Credit Card and ‘Eclat’ Select Credit Card on the RuPay platform.
- The Narendra Modi-led Union government’s attempts to sell two public sector banks may get deferred to the financial year as no approval has been taken from Parliament for making changes in laws required to initiate the deals.
- The Reserve Bank of India’s new directions on raising interchange fee and making available the facility of bulk clearing round the clock have become effective on Aug 01.
- GyanDhan, India’s first education financing platform stated it has received an NBFC license from the Reserve Bank of India and it aims to disburse Rs 650 crore worth of education loans in FY22.
- India’s largest private lender HDFC Bank launched ‘Dukandar Overdraft Scheme for overdraft facility for small retailers in partnership with the government’s e-governance services delivery arm CSC SPV that enables government schemes and services through common service centres (CSCs).
- Bvlgari has added Priyanka Chopra Jonas as one of its brand ambassadors.
- Mini Ipe took charge as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India on 2nd August, 2021.
- Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appointed Upendra Tripathy, a retired IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, as advisor-cum-working president and chairman of executive committee of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan with the status and rank of Minister of State.
- State-owned Indian Bank entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay – an initiative of Indian Institute of Technology – for extending exclusive credit facility to startups and small businesses.
- Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, has entered into an agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) to speed up the vaccination program in partnership with industry including health care providers.
- On July 30, 2021, On behalf of the Government of India, Meenakashi Lekhi, Hon’ble Minister of State for Culture of India participated in the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting hosted by Italy
- India has assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of August, in that india will organise three high-level signature meetings focussing on maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism.
- On August 02, 2021, Fortune’s Global 500 list, Seven Indian companies were found, In that list Globally Walmart has topped the list with a revenue of USD 524 billion for the eighth consecutive year and the 16th time since 1995.
- Renowned novelist Kunal Basu has announced his new novel named ‘In An Ideal World’ expected to release in early 2022.
- Captain Ramesh Babu has authored a New Book Titled My Own Mazagon & the Book will be jointly released by Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad, (Retd.), CMD Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.
- 33 year old Sri Lanka left-arm fast bowling all-rounder Isuru Udana announced his retirement from international cricket effective immediately.
- On Aug 01, 2021, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon won the Hungarian Grand Prix 2021, held at Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary.
- For the first time, the Indian women’s hockey team defeated three time championship Australia in the quarter-final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- On July 31, 2021, Six-time world masters championship gold medallist & multiple Asian Masters Championship medallist athlete Man Kaur Passed away.
