Current Affairs 12th August 2021| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Youth Day – observed on Aug 12 

• Every year, International Youth Day is observed on August 12.
• This year’s theme is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. 
• According to the United Nations, this year’s theme highlights the crucial need for “inclusive support mechanisms that ensure youth continue to amplify efforts collectively and individually to restore the planet and protect life while integrating biodiversity in the transformation of food systems.”
• On this day, governments and citizens across the world come together to recognize and bring attention to the problems faced by the youth.
• In 1999, the United Nations decided to commemorate International Youth Day every year on August 12.
• It was based on a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon to the UN General Assembly.
• The day is celebrated through various awareness campaigns, community concerts, and events to bring to notice the socio-economic and socio-political issues that the youth in every nation face.

World Elephant Day – observed on Aug 12 

• World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 every year to help protect elephants for maintaining the biodiversity of rainforests.
• This theme for this year’s World Elephant Day has not been announced; however, last year it was ‘Haathi Hamara Saathi.’
• This day is marked by raising awareness about the difficulty of the elephants in the forests and also finding out possible ways to protect them.
• The main aim of World Elephant Day is to make people aware of better treatment of captive elephants and against their illegal poaching and trade for ivory.
• World Elephant Day was launched to highlight the difficulty of Asian and African elephants, which face many threats like poaching, habitat loss, and conflict with humans and being mistreated in captivity.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

National Council for Older Persons to welfare of senior citizens

• National Policy for Older Persons (NPOP) followed by, a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was constituted in 1999 under the Chairpersonship of the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to oversee implementation of the Policy and advise the Government in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes for the aged.
• The goal of the National Policy is the wellbeing of older persons.
• It aims to strengthen their legitimate place in society and help older persons to live the last phase of their life with purpose, dignity and peace.
• In 2012, the NCOP was reconstituted in order to encourage more participation from every region and renamed as National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC).
• The third meeting of the Council was held on 13 June, 2018.

NCSrC involved Schemes/Programmes/Act:

• NCSrC involved Schemes/Programmes/Act for the welfare of Senior Citizens being run by various Ministries/Departments in addition to D/oSJE.
  • Amendments to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007.
  • Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RYY).
  • Revised Scheme of Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC).
  • Senior Citizen’s Welfare Fund (SCWF).
  • Financial Assistance under Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Schemes (IGNOAPS).
  • Social Security to Senior Citizens Bridging of Inter-generational Gap.

NMHC to be expand as an international tourist destination

• National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) is conceptualized as an international tourist destination, dedicated to the legacy of maritime heritage of India, at Lothal, Gujarat with various tourist facilities/amenities such as National Maritime Heritage Museum, Heritage Theme Park, Maritime Research Institute, landscaping and recreational venues, to attract tourists besides pavilion for each coastal states and union territories to showcase the maritime heritage of India.

There have been plans for providing digital tourism:

• Augmented/virtual reality to offer immersive experience of maritime heritage.
• Sound and light shows
• Touch screen kiosks
• Short films on important events related to the Maritime history.

About Lothal:

• Lothal was one of the southernmost cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization located in Gujarat.
• Construction of the city began around 2400 BCE.
• Lothal had the world’s earliest known dock, which connected the city to an ancient course of the Sabarmati river on the trade route between Harappan cities in Sindh and the peninsula of Saurashtra.
• Lothal would have been an important part of the Harappan civilization not only for its rich cotton and rice-growing areas, but also for its bead-making industry.
• The archaeological museumin Lothal was set up in 1976, and it hosts a large display of some of the most striking artefacts found during the excavations.
• The beads and semi-precious stones found in Lothal attest to a great level of artisanal skill, and many of these beads have been found in Mesopotamia, evidence of robust trade.
• The techniques and tools they pioneered for bead-making and in metallurgy have stood the test of time for over 4000 years.
• The Lothal site has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCO.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mohammad Mokhber – first Vice President of Iran

• Iran’s new ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi named the chairman of a powerful state-owned foundation sanctioned by the United States as his first vice-president.
• Mohammad Mokhber, long-rumored by local media to be the top pick for the position, has for years headed the foundation known as Setad, or the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s order, in reference to the Islamic republic’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini.
• Raisi, who won a June 18 election marked by record abstention, takes over from moderate Hassan Rouhani.

IPCC’s 6th assessment Report: warns against unabated global warming

• With representatives from nearly 200 countries at the United Nations Climate Summit underway in the United States, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the apex referee for scientific evidence on the impact of global warming made public a special report that underlined the dire changes taking place in oceans, glaciers and ice-deposits on land and sea.
• The Southern Ocean accounted for 35%–43% of the total heat gain in the upper 2,000 m global ocean between 1970 and 2017, and its share increased to 45%–62% between 2005 and 2017.
• The ‘Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’ was prepared following an IPCC Panel decision in 2016 to prepare three Special Reports and follows the Special Reports on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR1.5), and on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL).

About IPCC:

• IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.
• IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations mandated to provide objective scientific information relevant to understanding human-induced climate change, its natural, political, and economic impacts and risks, and possible response options.
• It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with subsequent endorsement by the United Nations General Assembly the same year.
• Membership is open to all member states of the WMO and UN and the IPCC is currently comprised of 195 countries.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Chhattisgarh: 1^st state to recognize community forest resource rights

• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State on August 09 to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas.
• The State Government recognized the rights of residents of Dhamtari district spread over 4,127 hectares of forest.
• In addition to Dhamtari district, the State Government also recognized the community resource rights over 5,544 hectares of forest within the core area of the Sitanadi Udanti tiger reserve area.
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel stated that with the recognition of community resource rights, the tribal community or the village dependent on forest would not need to struggle for their rights for water, forest or livelihood.
• The State Government also celebrated World Tribal Day for the first time (August 09).
• On the occasion, it also released the State’s atlas featuring the tribal population in the State.
• The CM also mentioned that the Government will speed up the process of recognizing more community forest resource rights in future.

Community Forest Resource:

• Any forest resource that the tribal and other forest dwelling communities use and depend on for a livelihood is known as Community Forest Resource.
• This can be a common forest area that the community has been conserving and protecting to make use of its resources.
• According to Section 2(a) of the Forest Rights Act, Community Forest Resource is the customary common forest land within the traditional or customary boundaries of the village or seasonal use of landscape in the case of pastoral communities, including reserved forests, protected forests and protected areas such as sanctuaries and national parks to which the community had traditional access.
• The community forest resource area may include forest of any category i.e. revenue forest, classified and unclassified forest, deemed forest, reserve forest, protected forest, sanctuary and national parks etc.

Madhya Pradesh: Cleanest city of country Indore now declared as first Water Plus city of country

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed, Indore, the country’s cleanest city, has now been declared the first “water plus” city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.
• Indore, the state’s commercial capital, has set an example for other cities.

About Swachh Survekshan:

• Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Informing about the work done to achieve this tag, Indore district collector Manish Singh stated, “According to the guidelines of Water Plus Protocol of Swachh Survekshan, 1,746 public and 5,624 domestic sewer outfalls in 25 small and big nullahs were tapped by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) which also freed the city’s Kanh and Saraswati rivers from sewer lines.”

About Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief minister:Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel
• National Parks: Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhav National Park, Sanjay National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Panna National Park, Satpura National Park, Pench National Park, Mandla Plant Fossils National Park.

J&K: LG Manoj Sinha inaugurates “Bungus Awaam Mela” at Bungus Valley

• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Bungus Awaam Mela with grand arrangements for village games, exhilarating local performances, and other activities to celebrate the 75th year of Independence at Bungus valley in Kupwara district.
• Lt Governor stated that the spirit of celebration among the local population is a befitting response to all those who try to vitiate the atmosphere of peace and development.
• He noted that the government is continuously working to reach out to the last person in the queue with development and welfare schemes.

About J&K:

• Capital: Jammu(winter), Srinagar(Summer)
• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
• National Parks: DachigamNational Park, Salim Ali National Park, Kazinag National Park, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

Finance Ministry reported over 5.82 crore Jan Dhan accounts inoperative

• The Finance Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that over 82 crore Jan Dhan (PMJDY) accounts are inoperative.
• This is 14 per cent of the total number of accounts.
• It means at least one out of 10 Jan Dhan accounts is inoperative.
• According to guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India, “a savings as well as current account should be treated as inoperative/dormant if there are no transactions in the account for over a period of two years.”
• For the purpose of classifying an account as ‘inoperative’ both types of transactions i.e. debit as well as credit, induced at the instance of customers as well as third party, should be considered.
• This is key as these accounts are also used for payment under welfare schemes, food grain procurement mechanism or even rural employment guarantee programmes.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana:

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is a financial inclusion program of the Government of India open to Indian citizens that aims to expand affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, remittances, credit, insurance and pensions.
• Launch year: 2014

IndusInd Bank plans to provide supported para-athletes qualify for upcoming Paralympic Games

• The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank’s ‘Para Champions Programme’ will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September.
• The programme was launched in 2015, in partnership with the GoSports Foundation with an objective to support para-athletes across various sports disciplines.
• Overall, the Bank helps 43 para-athletes underneath its ‘Para Champions’ Programme, in collaboration with GoSports Foundation throughout 7 disciplines from 14 States by serving to them fulfil their vitamin, health and conditioning, medical assist in addition to home and worldwide coaching necessities.

About Indus Ind Bank:

• IndusInd Bank Limited is a new-generation Indian bank headquartered in Pune.
• The bank offers commercial, transactional and electronic banking products and services. 
• IndusInd Bank was inaugurated in April 1994 by then Union Finance Minister Manmohan Singh.
• CEO: Sumant Kathpalia
• Headquarters: Pune
• Owner: Hinduja Group

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ECONOMY

India’s food Grain production estimated to rise 3.74% – 308.65 million tonnes in the crop year 2020-21 (July-June)                                        

• The Agriculture Ministry announces In the crop year 2020-21, India’s foodgrain production is projected to rise by 3.74 per cent to a new record of 308.65 million tonnes.
• Record production is estimated in rice, wheat, maize, pulses and
• It is the fourth advance estimate for the crop year 2020-21.
• As per the data, Estimated Production of

1. Rice – 122.27 MT in 2020-21
2. Wheat – 109.52 MT in 2020-21
3. Pulses – 25.72 MT in 2020-21
4. Oilseeds – 36.10 MT in 2020-21
5. Sugarcane – 399.25 MT in 2020-21
6. Cotton – 35.38 million bales ( declined from 36.07 million bales )
7. Jute/mesta – 9.56 million bales

Note : 

• During the 2019-20 crop year (July-June), the country’s foodgrain production (including wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals) stood at a record 297.5 million tonnes.
• Agriculture Minister : Narendra Singh Tomar

About Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare :

• Founded: 1947
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Minister of State : Shobha Karandlaje, Kailash Choudhary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Kamlesh Pant appointed as NPPA Chairman

• Senior bureaucrat Kamlesh Kumar Pant, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as chairperson of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet.
• He also had a short stint as the Managing Director of Himachal Pradesh Financial Corporation at Shimla and as the managing director of HP State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd.
• Pant is taking charge as the chairman of NPPA at a time when the drug price regulator is seeing an increased role in impacting public life by monitoring and controlling the prices of essential medicines and medical devices during the Covid-19 pandemic.

About NPPA:

• NPPA is the agency in-charge of monitoring pharmaceutical pricing.
• The pharmaceutical pricing agency was currently headed by IAS officer Shubhra Singh, who has been repatriated to her cadre state Rajasthan, according to an order of the personnel ministry.

B D Mishra take oath as additional charge of Mizoram Governor

• In Mizoram, Brig (Dr.) D. Mishra (Retd.) has assumed additional charge of Governor of the state.
• He is also the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Brigadier Mishra (Retd.) was administered the oath of office by Justice Michael Zothankhuma, Judge of the Gauhati High Court at Raj Bhavan in Aizawl.
• The President of India has appointed Brig Dr. Mishra as the Governor of the state as an interim arrangement due to the absence of Governor Haribabu Kambhampati who is currently on leave.

About Mizoram;

• National parks: Murlen National Park, Phawngpui National Park.
• Wildlife sanctuaries: Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, Khawnglung Wildlife Sanctuary
• Capital: Aizawl
• Chief minister:Zoramthanga

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Maharashtra government declared Rajiv Gandhi award for IT sector

• Maharashtra’s minister of state for Information and Technology Satej Patil stated the Rajiv Gandhi IT award will be given yearly on August 20, his birth anniversary.
• After Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre renamed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Maharashtra government announced a new award named after the former prime minister for outstanding performance in the Information and Technology (IT) sector.

About the Award:

• The award will be conferred upon companies and institutions for excellence in the IT sector.
• “The award will be given to the institutions that excel in the IT sector every year.
• This will be a lasting tribute to Rajiv ji for his pioneering work in the technology sector of the country”.
• Minister of state for Information and Technology Satej Patil informed the award will be given yearly on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

Nagaland bags 7 National Awards under Van Dhan Yojana Scheme

• Nagaland has bagged seven prestigious national awards in the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana (VDVY) and Minimum Support Price (MSP) schemes for exemplary performance in various categories.
• The VDVY and MSP for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) scheme focus on farmers’ entrepreneurship programmes through processing, packaging, branding and marketing of locally available products.
• Nagaland topped in three categories — Best Survey, Best Training and the most number of Van Dhan Vikas Clusters (VDVKCs) established, The North-eastern state also secured third positions in Best Sales Generated at Rs 115,86,000 and Innovation and Creativity.
• It got the two other awards for a couple of ideas: supply of gooseberry wine by a multipurpose society and that of mushroom by Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey Mission.
• Under the VDVY Scheme, Nagaland has 206 clusters comprising 2,805 self-help groups and 61,800 beneficiaries throughout the state.

About Nagaland:

• Capital: Kohima
• Governor: RN Ravi
• Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

Delhi board of school education signed MoU with International Baccalaureate

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently announced that the government has signed a MoU between the Delhi Board of School Education and International Baccalaureate (IB), paving the way for students from government schools to access educational facilities of the highest level.
• CM Kejriwal stated the International Baccalaureate board is present all over the world and that it is every parent’s dream to send their children to IB-affiliated schools.
• This agreement will make sure that students in Delhi government schools receive a quality education.

About the MOU:

• With the signing of this MoU, government school students will get access to international level of educational facilities.
• In India, there are two types of education systems — one for the rich and one for the poor.
• While the rich send their children to private schools, the poor send their wards to government schools.
• The biggest schools of the world and the country where the richest of rich kids go to study dream of getting an affiliation of the IB, as their pedagogy is of the highest international standards.
• They have collaborated with the governments of America, Canada, Spain, Japan and South Korea among other developed countries.
• All the students coming to DBSE schools will get education of international standard.

BBCI and IIT Guwahati signed an MOU on cancer research

• The B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) and Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research collaborations.
• The MoU was signed following a virtual meeting between BBCI director Dr Amal Chandra Kataki and IITG director Prof T G Sitharam along with other faculties from both the institutes.
• Higher incidence of cancers of gallbladder, oesophagus, nasopharynx, lung and stomach among both men and women of North East India cannot solely be explained by existing evidence available in the western literature.

About the research center:

• North East Center for Biological Sciences and Healthcare Engineering (NECBH) was established at IIT-Guwahati in 2018 with a vision to foster the development of biological research in the region.
• The mission of NECBH-outreach is to raise the quality of research in biological sciences and healthcare engineering in the entire North-Eastern India.
• The outreach programme intends to provide an exposure and training to the researchers in the NE region to the latest advances in modern day biological research and healthcare engineering.

India, USA sign agreement 

• Indian and American bodies have signed an agreement on monsoon data analysis and cooperation to improve weather forecasts in the region.
• The agreement was signed by India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology Director G A Ramadass and the US Assistant Administrator for Research and Acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• The two bodies would enhance technical cooperation in the development of the Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) and the Ocean Moored buoy Network in the northern Indian ocean (OMNI) for improving weather and monsoon forecasts between NOAA and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The agreement is a follow up to the memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and NOAA last October for Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences.

About NOAA:

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an American scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charts the seas, conducts deep sea exploration, and manages fishing and protection of marine mammals and endangered species in the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

India successfully test fires Nirbhay missile off Odisha coast

• On Aug 11, 2021, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired 1,000-km range Nirbhay cruise missile from Chandipur testing facility in Odisha.
• ITCM Nirbhay missile was equipped with a Made-in-India Manik turbofan engine

About Nirbhay missile :

• Nirbhay is India’s first Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM).
• It is a Long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile.
• It can use both conventional and nuclear weapons of 200 to 300 kilograms.
• The missile can be launched from multiple platforms.
• The missile has a length of 6 metres, width of 0.52 metres, a wingspan of 2.7 metres and weighs about 1500 kg.
• Nirbhay is a subsonic missile, flying at a speed of7 to 0.9 Mach

Note :

• The Nirbhay missile was first test fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on March 12, 2013.
• It was tested for the ninth time.

Recent News :

• On July 23, 2021, India had also successfully test-fired the indigenously developed New Generation Akash Missile (AKASH-NG) in Balasore, Odisha.

About DRDO :

• Founded: 1958
• Headquarters : New Delhi
• Chairman : G. Satheesh Reddy

Ex-Malabar 2021: Quad Navies to undertake 

• The Quad navies will be conducting the annual Malabar naval exercises, from August 21, off the coast of Guam, in the Indo-Pacific.
• The harbour phase of the Malabar naval exercises is scheduled on August 21-24.
• While the sea phase of the annual exercise will be held on August 25-29.

Objective :

• To increase the interoperability of naval powers of the four QUAD countries (India, US ,Japan, Australia ).
• Indian Navy will be represented by two surface combatants led by Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvijay and Frigate INS Shivalik along with maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I, ASW helicopters and special forces

Note :

• The last Malabar exercise off the coast of Guam was held in 2018 with Japanese, Indian and US Navy participating in the advanced naval war games.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

India to host first Internet Governance Forum in October 2021                               

• On Aug 09, 2021, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced that India will host the first Internet Governance Forum in the country for three days beginning October 20, 2021.
• Theme of Internet Governance Forum is “Inclusive Internet for Digital India” & the meeting scheduled from October 20-22, 2021.
• The 3-day event will conduct over 25 workshops in domains such as Digital Economy, Digital Governance, Trust, Security, Stability, Sustainability

Objective :

• To generate discussions about policy formation related to the Internet.
• The forum will also become a starting point for identifying something that retards or halts the free movement and progress of Internet policies and trying to resolve this one by one.
• The Indian Internet Governance Forum will work towards bringing various stakeholders together from different groups, considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.

About India Internet Governance Forum :

• The Indian Internet Governance Forum (IGF), is the Indian version of the United Nations-based ‘Internet Governance Forum (IGF)’, held annually since 2006.

Note :

• India is the second-largest broadband subscription country in the world and also has the highest data consumption per user per month.

About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology :

• Founded: 1991
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Cabinet Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Secretary : Ajay Prakash Sawhney
• Minister of State :  Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO: Countdown for launch of EOS-03 satellite begins

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the countdown for the launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 EOS-03 mission from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.
• This is the fourteenth flight of GSLV.

About GSLV F10 EOS-03 :

• The launch is tentatively scheduled on August 12, 2021, subject to weather conditions.
• EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite that will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10.
• The satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.
• A 4 metre diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight.

About ISRO :

• Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
• Founded: 15 August 1969
• Headquarters: Bengaluru
• Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

Novel Titled “A Death in Shonagachhi” authored by Rijula Das

• Rijula Das authored a novel titled “A Death in Shonagachhi”.
• The Novel is Published by Picador India.

About the Novel :

• The novel narrates the a murder of a prostitute in Shonagachhi the well known red light district of Calcutta.

About Rijula Das :

• Rijula Das lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.
• She is the recipient of the 2019 Michael King Writer’s Centre Residency in Auckland and the 2016 Dastaan Award for her short story Notes From A Passing.
• Her translation of Bhattacharya’s novel Kangal Malshat is forthcoming from Seagull Books in fall of 2022.
• Rijula received her PhD in Creative Writing/prose-fiction in 2017 from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

Union Minister Anurag Thakur launches Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 on August 13 across India  

• On Aug 13, 2021, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur will launch the Nationwide programme of Fit India Freedom Runs 2.0 as part of the celebration of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav-India@75”.

Objective :

• To encourage people to take up fitness activities such as running and sports in their daily lives and get freedom from obesity, laziness, stress and diseases.
• To reach more than 50 crore youth and citizens across the country and make them take part in the run.
• Fit India Freedom Runs will be organized in 744 Districts, and 30,000 educational institutions across the country.
• The programmes will be held in 75 districts and at 75 villages in each district till 2nd October 2021.

Key activities of Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 :

• Pledge
• Rendering of National Anthem
• Cultural functions at venues,
• Creating Awareness among Youth Volunteers to participate
• Organize similar Freedom Runs

Note :

• First edition of the campaign was organized from 15th August to 2nd October, 2020.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Legendary Renowned Ayurvedacharya Balaji Tambe passes away 

• Legendary  Renowned Ayurvedacharya Balaji Tambe passed away.
• He was 81.

About Balaji Tambe  :

• Balaji Tambe was an expert in Ayurveda, Yoga and music therapy.
• Tambe was the founder of the Atmasantulana Village at Karla, near Lonavala in Pune district.
• He dedicated his entire life to promote and popularize Ayurveda and
• He did research on Ayurvedic medicine and Ayurvedic physiotherapy.
• Dr Tambe had written several books on spirituality, Yoga and Ayurveda & his book ‘Ayurvedic Garbha Sanskar‘ was very popular.

About Atmasantulana Village :

• Established in 1982
• It is one of the first and largest Ayurveda centers in India.

Malayalam Actress Saranya Sasi Passes away

• On Aug 09, 2021, Malayalam actress Saranya Sasi, Passed away.
• She was 35.

About Saranya Sasi :

• Saranya Sasi worked in Malayalam and Tamil films and television soap operas.
• Saranya acted in Malayalam films in the 2010s such as Thalappavu, Chhota Mumbai, Ann Mariya Kalippilanu and Bombay March 12,
• Also she acted in popular television soap operas such as Karuthamuthu, Avakashikal, Harichandanam, Kootukari, Malakhamar and Rahasyam.

Daily CA On Aug 11 :

• The Centre told the Delhi High Court that Twitter was prima facie in compliance with the new Information Technology Rules by appointing a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) and Nodal Contact Person on permanent basis.
• The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released 5th monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs. 9,871 crore to the States on 9th August, 2021.
• The Supreme Court asked the Centre to submit the action taken report within two weeks on the recommendations of court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) on allocation of oxygen to states and Union Territories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• As India’s import dependency on edible oil continues to rise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 11,000 crore National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils, including palm oil.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the industry of government and businesses working together for a self-reliant India at the annual meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Shri Anil Kumar Jain, the CEO, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and the Chairman of Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IGF), announced the launch of India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) -2021 at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi.
• China has opened a newly constructed terminal – stated to be the biggest in Tibet – at the provincial capital Lhasa, further expanding the transport infrastructure in the strategic Himalayan region and helping it emerge as a global logistics hub for South Asia.
• India started the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16, 2021; in the first phase, all healthcare workers were eligible to take the shot that was later extended to frontline workers on February 2.
• Facebook stated it was launching a one-year joint initiative with UNICEF India on ending violence against children with a special focus on online safety.
• On Aug 09, 2021, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report titled “Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis”.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched eNagar mobile application and portal.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed a landmark freedom movement event as Kakori Train Action while paying tributes to the revolutionaries who were hanged for robbing a train at Kakori to buy weapons in 1925.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched ‘Digital Prayaas‘, an App based end to end digital lending platform.
• Amid the pandemic, as many businesses were forced to shut down, Union Bank of India is providing Rs 30 crore loans for various financial schemes to micro, small and medium enterprises to provide support so they can re-establish themselves.
• RBI to levy penalty Rs 10,000 per ATM on ATMs that run out of cash from October 1
• The Reserve Bank of India notified the enhancement of collateral free loans to self-help groups (SHGs) from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• The Union government unveiled the draft of a bill to replace higher education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) with a Higher Education Commission.
• A public awarenesscampaign is being run by the Reserve Bank of India to warn people of digital banking frauds & the RBI has roped in Neeraj Chopra, Olympic gold medalist for this campaign.
• India Insurtech Association (IIA), a not-for-profit body promoting tech-driven insurance ecosystems in India inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with International Financial Services Centre at GIFT City, (GIFT-IFSC) to collaborate on building thought leadership in the field of insurance and promoting GIFT City for Indian and foreign insurance companies.
• On Aug 09, 2021, India and Saudi Arabia are all set to conduct their first-ever naval exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021
• For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) inducted two women officers Prakriti and Diksha who have been commissioned as combatised officers.
• On Aug 12, 2021, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its most advanced geo-imaging satellite, the Earth observation satellite (EOS) – GISAT-1 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• On Aug 10, 2021, a new Global Youth Development Index was released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, According to that index India is ranked 122nd measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries.
• Popular children’s author Sudha Murty launches a new book titled How The Earth Got Its Beauty & the book is published by Penguin Random House imprint Puffin, has illustrations by Priyanka Pachpande.
• Award-winning author Anuradha Roy’s new novel titled  ‘The Earthspinner’ will be released on September 03, 2021 & the book will be Published by Hachette India.
• The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) decided to name August 7 as ‘Javelin Throw Day’ in India to honour Neeraj Chopra’s first historic Olympic gold.
• On Aug 09, 2021, War hero Commodore Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao passed away.

Daily CA On Aug 12 :

• Every year, International Youth Day is observed on August 12 & the theme of 2021 is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. 
• World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 every year to help protect elephants for maintaining the biodiversity of rainforests
• National Policy for Older Persons (NPOP) followed by, a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was constituted in 1999 under the Chairpersonship of the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to oversee implementation of the Policy and advise the Government in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes for the aged.
• National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) is conceptualized as an international tourist destination, dedicated to the legacy of maritime heritage of India, at Lothal, Gujarat
• Iran’s new ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi named the chairman of a powerful state-owned foundation sanctioned by the United States as his first vice-president.
• With representatives from nearly 200 countries at the United Nations Climate Summit underway in the United States, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the apex referee for scientific evidence on the impact of global warming made public a special report that underlined the dire changes taking place in oceans, glaciers and ice-deposits on land and sea.
• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State on August 09 to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed, Indore, the country’s cleanest city, has now been declared the first “water plus” city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.
• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Bungus Awaam Mela with grand arrangements for village games, exhilarating local performances, and other activities to celebrate the 75th year of Independence at Bungus valley in Kupwara district.
• The Finance Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that over 82 crore Jan Dhan (PMJDY) accounts are inoperative.
• The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank’s ‘Para Champions Programme’ will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September.
• The Agriculture Ministry announces In the crop year 2020-21, India’s foodgrain production is projected to rise by 3.74 per cent to a new record of 65 million tonnes.
• Senior bureaucrat Kamlesh Kumar Pant, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as chairperson of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet.
• In Mizoram, Brig (Dr.) D. Mishra (Retd.) has assumed additional charge of Governor of the state.
• Maharashtra’s minister of state for Information and Technology Satej Patil stated the Rajiv Gandhi IT award will be given yearly on August 20, his birth anniversary.
• Nagaland has bagged seven prestigious national awards in the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana (VDVY) and Minimum Support Price (MSP) schemes for exemplary performance in various categories.
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently announced that the government has signed a MoU between the Delhi Board of School Education and International Baccalaureate (IB), paving the way for students from government schools to access educational facilities of the highest level.
• The B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) and Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research collaborations.
• Indian and American bodies have signed an agreement on monsoon data analysis and cooperation to improve weather forecasts in the region.
• On Aug 11, 2021, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired 1,000-km range Nirbhay cruise missile from Chandipur testing facility in Odisha.
• The Quad navies will be conducting the annual Malabar naval exercises, from August 21, off the coast of Guam, in the Indo-Pacific.
• On Aug 09, 2021, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced that India will host the first Internet Governance Forum in the country for three days beginning October 20, 2021.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the countdown for the launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 EOS-03 mission from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.
• Rijula Das authored a novel titled “A Death in Shonagachhi” & the Novel is Published by Picador India.
• On Aug 13, 2021, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur will launch the Nationwide programme of Fit India Freedom Runs 2.0 as part of the celebration of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav-India@75”.
• Legendary  Renowned Ayurvedacharya Balaji Tambe passed away.
• On Aug 09, 2021, Malayalam actress Saranya Sasi, Passed away.