Current Affairs 13th August 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Organ Donation Day – Observed on Aug 13

• August 13 of every year is observed as World Organ Donation Day aimed at raising awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourages people to take a pledge for the same.
• One person can save up to eight lives from chronic illness by pledging to donate their heart, kidney, pancreas, lungs, liver, intestines, hands, face, tissues, bone marrow, and stem cells.
• Hence the day strives to help people in realizing that volunteering to donate their organs after death can be life-changing for many.
• The first-ever organ donation was done in 1954 when Ronald Lee Herrick donated a kidney to his identical twin brother.
• Doctor Joseph Murray conducted the procedure for which he has also won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 for advances in organ transplantation.

Organ donation in India:

• India has the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act to regulate organ donation in the country.
• The law allows both deceased and living people to donate their organs.
• According to a World Health Organization, around 0.01 per cent of people in India donate their organs after death.

International Lefthanders Day – Observed on Aug 13

• International Left Handers Day is an international day observed annually on August 13 to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of left-handed individuals.
• The day was first observed in 1976 Campbell, founder of Lefthanders International, Inc.
• International Lefthanders Day was created to celebrate sinistrality and raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world.
• It celebrates left-handed people’s uniqueness and differences, a subset of humanity comprising seven to ten percent of the world’s population.
• The day also spreads awareness on issues faced by left-handers, e.g. the importance of the special needs for left-handed children, and the likelihood for left-handers to develop schizophrenia.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

PM interacts with women self-help groups (SHGs) under the “Aatmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad” 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, the amount of effort that should have been put in to economically empower women was not made and asserted that his dispensation is constantly creating an environment in which women self-help groups can connect villages with prosperity.
• Participating in the “Aatmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad” (dialogue with self-reliant women), the prime minister interacted with the women self-help groups (SHGs) promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) via video-conferencing.
• He also released capitalization support funds to the tune of Rs 1,625 crore to over four lakh SHGs.

About the interaction:

• Modi also released Rs 25 crore as seed money for 7,500 SHG members under the PMFME (PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises) scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Rs 4.13 crore as funds to 75 FPOs (farmer producer organizations) being promoted under the mission.
• The Prime Minister mentioned that to increase the scope of entrepreneurship among women and for greater participation in the resolve of AatmaNirbhar Bharat, a major financial support has been given to more than 4 lakh SHGs on the eve of Raksha Bandhan.
• Self help group and Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana have brought a new revolution in rural India.
• He added this movement of women self-help groups has intensified in the last 6-7 years.
• He stated that there are 70 lakh self help groups across the country which is more than three times the figure during 6-7 years.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav releases protocol for All India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022

• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav released the population estimation protocol to be adopted in the exerciseto be taken up for the All India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022. 
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), for the first time is converging elephant and tiger population estimation, the protocol for which was released on the occasion of World Elephant Day. 
• The Union Environment Minister stressed on the involvement of local and indigenous people in the Conservation of elephants and said that a bottom up approach is the way forward, which will also help in minimizing Human-Elephant Conflict as well.

About Asian Elephants:

• Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
• This has been done as most of the range states except India, have lost their viable elephant populations due to loss of habitats & poaching etc.
• The current population estimates indicate that there are about 50,000 -60000 Asian elephants in the world.
• More than 60 % of the population is held in India.

DPE rolled out 60^th annual Public Enterprises Survey

• The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, Government of India annually brings out the Public Sector Enterprises Survey on the performance of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• The Public Enterprises Survey 2019-20 has been laid in the Lok Sabha on 6th August, 2021 and in the Rajya Sabha on 9th August, 2021 respectively.
• The Public Enterprises (PE) Survey 2019-20 is the 60th in the series.

About the Survey:

• PE Survey which is a 100% enumeration of the CPSE universe captures essential statistical data for all CPSEs on various financial and physical parameters.
• PE Survey divides CPSEs into five sectors namely Agriculture, Mining & Exploration, Manufacturing, Processing & Generation, Services, and Enterprises under Construction and further into 21 cognate groups.
• The Survey covers those CPSE’s wherein Government of India holds more than 50% equity.
• Subsidiaries of these companies, if registered in India, in which CPSE(s) has more than 50% equity stake are also categorised as CPSEs.
• As per the PE Survey 2019-20 as on 31st March, 2020 there are 256 operational CPSEs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan calls on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh in Delhi

• Chief Scientist WHO Dr Soumya Swaminathan, currently in India, called on 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.
• Dr Soumya, who is an eminent medical professional and former Head of ICMR, discussed with Dr Jitendra Singh various aspects of the current COVID pandemic as well as a wide range of other issues.
• Emphasising on the importance of mass vaccination through easy availability and accessibility, Dr Soumya stated, even though the vaccine may not be able to provide absolute protection against different variants of Virus, it can certainly reduce the risk of death and complications.
• The Minister informed her that with the personal intervention and day-to-day personal monitoring by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has undertaken the fastest and the largest vaccination drive.
• On the call of Prime Minister Modi, people from all sections of the society are coming forward to cooperate.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Nitin Gadkari announces about projects in Uttarakhand

• Nitin Gadkari stated 42 works costing Rs.615.48 crores were sanctioned at the request of the Uttarakhand government under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund Union Roads, transport, and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced 1,000 crore for new national highways in Uttarakhand and an additional Rs.300 crore for the Central Road Infrastructure Fund.
• Gadkari informed Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami that every requirement of Uttarakhand in terms of roads will be fulfilled.
• He also promised that the Centre will provide all help for ropeway and cable cars in the state.
• The tunnel is proposed near Rajpur in Dehradun, which will terminate at Koti Colony near Tehri Lake.
• The total length of the tunnel will be about 35 km.
• The estimated cost of the construction of the tunnel amounts to 8, 750 crore.

About Uttarakhand:

• Capital: Dehradun
• Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
• Chief minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami
• National Parks: Valley of Flowers National Park, Rajaji National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, Gangotri National Park, Govind Pashu Vihar National Park & Sanctuary.

Ladakh: IAF builds one of the world’s highest mobile ATC towers 

• Indian Air Force (IAF) has built one of the world’s highest mobile air traffic control (ATC) towers at the Advanced Landing Ground in Ladakh’s Nyoma area.
• The ATC controls operations of the fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters operating in the eastern Ladakh region.
• India has been considering multiple options of developing airfields in eastern Ladakh including Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), Fukche and Nyoma which are at a distance of few minutes from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. 
• The Air Force also has deployed the Igla man-portable air defence missiles to tackle any aerial incursion by any adversary aircraft.
• The Indian Air Force has been regularly deploying fighter aircraft including the Rafale and MiG-29s to carry out operations in eastern Ladakh where there has been disengagement of troops at two locations including Pangong Tso and Gogra heights but both sides have not de-escalated.

About Ladakh:

• Capital: Leh, Kargil
• Lieutenant governor: Radha Krishna Mathur
• National park: Hemis National Park

Kaziranga National Park become 1^st National Park in India with satellite phones

• Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) became the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones.
• Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua handed over 10 satellite phones to the forest personnel of the Kaziranga National Park.
• The decision to provide satellite phones to the forest personnel of the park was taken at a meeting chaired by Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Kaziranga National Park on May 27.
• The meeting was attended by Minister for Environment and Forest, Parimal Suklaibaidya, ministers Keshab Mahanta and Atul Bora, the director of Kaziranga National Park and deputy commissioners of adjoining districts.
• Other senior officials of the forest department were also present.
• An official of the Kaziranga National Park stated that the step to equip the forest personnel with satellite phones would boost anti-poaching measures in the park.
• The official further said the satellite phones will be used in the park’s six ranges with no wireless or poor mobile connectivity.

About Assam:

• Capital: Dispur
• Chief minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor: Jagdish Mukhi
• National parks: Kaziranga National park , Manas National park, Dibru-Saikhowa National park, Nameri National park and Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

CPI based Retail inflation declines to 5.59% in July from 6.26% in June

• India’s retail inflation eased to a three-month low in July, back within the Reserve Bank’s tolerance level (2 per cent-6 per cent) after staying above the upper band for two straight months.
• The consumer price index (CPI) based inflation cooled to 5.59 per cent in the last month from 6.26 per cent in June.
• Food inflation fell substantially to 3.96 per cent in July from 5.15 per cent in June.
• The RBI in latest monetary policy review has kept the rates and stance unchanged and pledged to remain accommodative in the near future, while raising its inflation forecast to 5.7 per cent during 2021-22.
• RBI projected 5.9 per cent in the second quarter, 5.3 per cent in third, and 5.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of the fiscal, with risks broadly balanced.
• CPI inflation for Q1FY23 is projected at 5.1 per cent.
• Industrial output for the month of June rose 13.6 per cent, in a sign that the low base effect of the last year is waning.

About Retail Inflation:

• Retail inflation started rising a couple of months ago due to higher fuel prices and supply-side disruptions.
• Even as restrictions have eased in all states after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the problems triggering high inflation have not been solved.

About CPI:

• A consumer price index measures changes in the price level of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.
• A CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically.

Handbook to Guide EV Charging Infrastructure in India released by Niti Aayog

• NITI Aayog has released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.
• It has been jointly developed by NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power (MoP), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and World Resources Institute (WRI) India.
• The handbook was prepared with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Department of Heavy Industry.

Aim :

• To enable states and local bodies to establish public charging networks efficiently.

Objective :

• To enhance charging infrastructure and facilitate a rapid transition to electric mobility in the country.
• It provides a systematic and a holistic approach for adoptions by implementing authorities and other stakeholders involved in planning, authorisation and execution of electric vehicles charging infrastructure.
• The handbook highlights the critical role of planning authorities in integrating EV charging infrastructure into their transport and urban planning frameworks.
• The handbook addresses the common challenges being faced by different local authorities in implementing EV charging networks.

About Niti Aayog :

• Formed: 1 January 2015
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Narendra Modi
• Vice Chairperson : Rajiv Kumar
• CEO : Amitabh Kant
• Founder: National Democratic Alliance

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

RBI imposes Rs 1 crore penalty to Cooperatieve Rabobank UA 

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informed it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Cooperatieve Rabobank U.A. for deficiencies in regulatory compliances.
• The penalty has been imposed for contravention of certain provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and directions related to ‘transfer to reserve funds’.
• RBI said it conducted a statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE) of the bank with reference to the bank’s financial position as on March 31, 2020.
• Examination of the risk assessment report pertaining to the same, revealed contravention of the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act and the directions issued by RBI.

About RaboBank:

• Rabobank is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands.
• It is a global leader in food and agriculture financing and sustainability-oriented banking.
• Headquarters: Utrecht, Netherlands

RBL Bank chosen AWS as preferred cloud provider

• RBL Bank has chosen Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, as its preferred cloud provider to strengthen its AI powered banking solutions and drive digital transformation at the Bank, adding significant value to the Banks innovative offerings, saving costs, and tightening risk controls.
• The Bank is building on its analytics practice and investing in AI capabilities to implement various use cases across multiple segments, including Risk, Customer Service, Human Resources, and Operations.
• The Banks AI Center of Excellence worked with AWS to create a templatized framework to roll out use cases using Amazon SageMaker to quickly and easily build, train, and deploy machine learning (ML) models as part of the Banks larger AI roadmap.

About RBL Bank:

• RBL Bank, formerly known as Ratnakar Bank, is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Mumbai and founded in 1943.
• Vishwavir Ahuja is the MD & CEO of RBL Bank and is a seasoned banker with close to 36 years of industry experience.
• He joined RBL Bank in July 2010 and has been responsible to transform the bank into a vibrant, professionally run, new-age bank with a high degree of competitiveness and scale.

Deutsche Bank to set up IFSC Banking Unit at GIFT City

• Deutsche Bank, a leading German bank with strong European roots and a global network spread across 59 countries, has received approval from the GIFT SEZ Authority to set up an IFSC banking unit at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at GIFT City, Gujarat.
• Deutsche Bank is among the largest international banks in India, having set up its first branch in the country in Mumbai more than 40 years ago.
• With over INR19,000 crore of capital deployed in its India branch operations and a presence across all major business centres, Deutsche Bank is a trusted partner and advisor to its customers and clients, offering a whole range of services across Corporate Banking, Investment Banking and its International Private Bank.
• The Deutsche Bank Group currently employs more than 18,000 people across its various entities in the country.

About Deutsche Bank:

• Deutsche Bank AG is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
• The bank’s network spans 58 countries with a large presence in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
• Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany
• CEO: Christian Sewing

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

Cashify appointed Rajkummar Rao as first brand ambassador

• Cashify, a re-commerce marketplace that sells and buys used smart phones and other electronic gadgets, announced that it has appointed Rajkummar Rao as its first brand ambassador.
• The actor has signed a multi-year contract with the company and he will promote the products across digital media platforms through campaigns and promotional activities exclusively for the smartphone buyback category.
• The company stated the partnership is expected to give a strong face to the brand’s philosophy as Rao personifies the brand ethos, which is reliability, responsiveness, approachability, and dynamic personality.

About Casify:

• Cashify completes this process by first buying the mobile phone and carrying out any small repairs that may be needed.
• The old phones are then sold across India to customers looking to buy a second-hand phone or to businesses that give out phones to their employees.

IPS Officer Sudhir Kumar Saxena appointed as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat

• Senior IPS officer Sudhir Kumar Saxena was appointed as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.
• Saxena, a 1987 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently Special Director General, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretriat.

About Secretary:

• The Secretary (Security) is the administrative head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that provides security to the prime minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence.
• The SPG also provides security to any former prime minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at the residence allotted to him for a period of five years from the date he ceases to hold the office of the prime minister.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ award for 2021 honoured to 152 officers

• As many as 152 police officers in the country have been conferred with the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for 2021 for their high professional standards of investigation of crime.
• The Union Home Ministry, stated the awardees include 28 women police officials from across the country.
• This medal was constituted in 2018 with the objective to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime and to recognise such excellence in investigation by investigating officers.
• The ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for 2021 has been awarded to 152 police personnel.
• Among the personnel receiving these awards, 15 are from the CBI, 11 each from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police, 10 from Uttar Pradesh, nine from Kerala and Rajasthan, eight from Tamil Nadu, seven from Bihar, six each from Gujarat, Karnataka and Delhi Police.
• Five police officers are from Telangana, four each from Assam, Haryana, Odisha and West Bengal while the remaining are from the other states and U.T.s.

Union Govt. announces winners of Prime Minister’s Shram Awards (PMSA) for 2018 comprising Shram Bhushan, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards

• The Government of India announced the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards (PMSA) for the year 2018.
• These awards are to be awarded to 69 workers employed in the Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and State Governments and Private Sector Units employing 500 or more workers in recognition of their distinguished performance, innovative abilities, outstanding contribution in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and presence of mind.
• This year the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards are given in three categories namely Shram Bhushan Awards which carry a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000/- each, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana Awards which carry a cash prize of Rs. 60,000/– each and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards which carry a cash prize of Rs.40,000/- each.

About the award details:

• For the year 2018, four (4) nominations for the Shram Bhushan Awards, twelve (12) nominations for Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana awards and seventeen (17) nominations for Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards have been selected.
• While the total number of Shram Awards conferred this year is thirty three (33), the number of workers receiving the Awards is sixty nine (69) as some of the awards have been shared by workers and/or teams of workers consisting of more than one worker.
• Out of the total awardees, forty nine (49) workers are from the public sector while twenty (20) workers are from the private sector.
• The awardees include eight (8) women workers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

NHA Signed MOU with IIT Delhi to strengthen India’s response to Covid crisis

• Recognizing the role of innovations to strengthen India’s response to COVID-19 crisis and preparedness for emerging healthcare needs, the National Health Authority has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
• Through this partnership, the National Health Authority (NHA) will be a technical collaborator on the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility.
• IIT Delhi serves as the hosting entity for SAMRIDH.
• This initiative is implemented by a Technical Support Unit managed by IPE Global.

About SAMBRIDH:

• SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Financing Facility aims to catalyze market-based health solutions to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare services for low-income and vulnerable communities, particularly for Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
• SAMRIDH has mobilized a capital pool of more than USD 100 million from private sector and development funders.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

28th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting 2021 :  MoS Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India’s delegation

• On Aug 06, 2021, to the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting, the Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India’s delegation.
• The Meeting was held virtually under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam.

About the Meeting :

• The member countries exchanged views on international and regional issues, and future direction of the ARF.
• Singh presented India’s perspectives on the Indo-Pacific, the threat of terrorism, importance of UNCLOS in the maritime domain and cyber security.
• The ARF Ministers adopted a Joint Statement on Promoting the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda.

About ASEAN :

• ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia
• Founded: 8 August 1967, Bangkok, Thailand
• Founders: Narciso Ramos, Abdul Razak Hussein, Adam Malik, S. Rajaratnam, Thanat Khoman
• It is an economic union comprising 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates.
• 10 member states of ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Sivan inaugurates ‘Health QUEST Study    

• Secretary, DOS and Chairman of ISRO Dr K Sivan, inaugurated the ‘Health QUEST study (Health Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology of ISRO)’ through videoconferencing.
• The event was co-organised by Association of HealthCare Providers India (AHPI) and Society for Emergency Medicine in India (SEMI).
• It would be undertaken by 20 private hospitals across India.

Aim :

• To upgrade the healthcare system standards in the country in line with the ISRO quality standards and best practices.

Objective :

• To strive towards reducing human errors and achieve zero defect and quality service in the emergency and intensive care units of hospitals.
• ISRO will share its procedures and practices of Quality Assurance mechanism with the study team for setting the parameters to establish health care quality standards.

About ISRO :

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

Skytrax’s top 100 airport list : Doha’s Hamad International Airport tops

• The Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has been named the “Best Airport in the World” in the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

The World’s Top 10 Airports of 2021:

1. Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar
2. Tokyo Haneda Airport
3. Singapore Changi Airport
4. Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea
5. Narita International Airport in Tokyo
6. Munich Airport in Munich, Germany
7. Zurich Airport in Switzerland
8. London Heathrow Airport in England
9. Kansai International Airport in osaka, Japan
10. Hong Kong International Airport in china

Indian Airports in the List are :

• The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi has found place among world’s top 50 best airports in 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Airport Name	Ranking in 2021	Ranking in 2020
Delhi airport	45	50
Hyderabad airport	64	71
Mumbai airport	65	52
Bangalore airport	71	68

Note :

• Delhi airport CEO : Videh Kumar Jaipuriar

About Skytrax World Airport Awards :

• The Skytrax World Airport Awards are voted for by customers in a global airport customer satisfaction survey.
• The awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires completed by over 100 nationalities of airport customers during the 6-month survey period.
• The Skytrax World Airport Awards list is compiled by UK-based Skytrax & the Survey was conducted from August 2020 until July 2021.

About Skytrax  :

• Headquarters : London, United Kingdom
• Founded: 1989
• CEO : Edward Plaisted
• It is a consultancy firm which runs an airline and airport review and ranking site, featuring 100 airports.

Number Of Billionaires In India came down From 141 to 136

• The number of billionaires in India came down to 136 in 2020-21 from 141 in 2019-20, based on the gross total income declared in the income tax return.
• In FY 2018-19, the number of individuals with a gross total annual income of more than Rs 100 cr is 77.
• As per the information available with Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), there is no legislative or administrative definition of the term billionaire under direct taxes. Wealth tax has been abolished with effect from 01.04.2016 and, therefore, CBDT does not any more capture information about complete wealth of an individual taxpayer

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

Vice President releases book ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ 

• On Aug 09, 2021, the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu released a new book titled ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, New Delhi.
• The Book Published By OakBridge Publishing Pvt. Ltd & the book is edited by Shri K.J. Alphons, Member of Rajya Sabha and the publishers.
• The book is the efforts of the 28 eminent authors who contributed 25 essays in the book on various sectors of Indian governance.

About the Book :

• The Book gives the documentation of the progress made during the last 7 years under the dynamic, forward-looking leadership of Narendra Modi.
• The book will serve as a guide for policymakers to reflect and identify key elements of the unfinished agenda of our development.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

130th Edition of Durand Cup Football Tournament to be held in Kolkata from Sept 5

• Asia’s oldest and world’s third oldest football tournament, Durand Cup’s 130th Edition, is scheduled to be held at Kolkata between September 05 to October 03, 2021.
• Sixteen teams from across the country, including four from the Services will participate in the tournament.

About Durand Cup :

• Durand is a domestic football competition in India, organised by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and the Indian Army.
• The prestigious tournament was held for the first time in 1888, at Dagshai, Himachal Pradesh.
• It is named after Mortimer Durand, the then Foreign Secretary of British India from 1884 to 1894
• Founded : 1888
• Current champions: Gokulam Kerala FC; (1st title)
• The winning team is presented with three trophies, the President’s Cup, the Durand Cup and the Shimla Trophy.
• Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand Cup winning it sixteen times each.

ICC to impel for cricket’s inclusion in in Los Angeles Olympics 2028

• The International Cricket Council has confirmed it will campaign for the inclusion of the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Also, The ICC was formed as an Olympic Working Group which will work on making the game part of the Olympics starting from 2028.
• The sport will feature in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in 2022, which shapes as a perfect showcase for what the sport can bring to the Olympics, as well as being a momentous occasion on its own.

About ICC :

• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909
• Chairman: Greg Barclay
• Deputy Chairman: Imran Khwaja
• CEO : Geoff Allardice
• Membership : 106 members

World Athletics Rankings 2021: Neeraj ranked World No. 2

• Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has accomplished number 2 rank in the World Athletics ranking  2021 after winning the gold medal in Tokyo.
• The 23-year-old athlete Chopra has been ranked second with a score of 1315.
• He is only behind German athlete Johannes Vetter who has a 1396 score.

Men’s Javelin World Athletics Rankings :      

Place	Athletes	Score
1	Johannes Vetter	1396
2	Neeraj Chopra	1315
3	Marcin Krukowski	1302
4	Jakub Vadlejch	1298
5	Julian Weber	1291
6	Keshorn Walcott	1267
7	Andrian Mardare	1265
8	Vitezslav Vesely	1260
9	Anderson Peters	1259
10	Aliaksei Katkavets	1240

About Neeraj Chopra :

• On August 7, 2021, Neeraj Chopra became India’s first athlete to win a gold in track and field in the Olympics.
• He threw the javelin to a distance of 58m to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
• He is the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army.
• Also ,he is the first track and field athlete who won IAAF World U20 Championships.
• He is one of only two Indians to have won an individual Olympic gold medal after Abhinav Bindra
• He is the youngest-ever Indian gold medalist in an individual event and the only one to have won gold in his Olympic debut.
• Neeraj had 143,000 followers on Instagram before the Olympics but now has a staggering 3.2 million, making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world.

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.

Daily CA On Aug 13 :

• August 13 of every year is observed as World Organ Donation Day aimed at raising awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourages people to take a pledge for the same.
• International Left Handers Day is an international day observed annually on August 13 to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of left-handed individuals.
• PM Narendra Modi interacts with women self-help groups (SHGs) under the “Aatmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad”
• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav released the population estimation protocol to be adopted in the exerciseto be taken up for the All India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022. 
• The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, Government of India annually brings out the 60th annual Public Sector Enterprises Survey on the performance of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• Chief Scientist WHO Dr Soumya Swaminathan, currently in India, called on 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.
• Nitin Gadkari stated 42 works costing Rs.615.48 crores were sanctioned at the request of the Uttarakhand government under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund Union Roads, transport, and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced 1,000 crore for new national highways in Uttarakhand and an additional Rs.300 crore for the Central Road Infrastructure Fund.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has built one of the world’s highest mobile air traffic control (ATC) towers at the Advanced Landing Ground in Ladakh’s Nyoma area.
• Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) became the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones.
• India’s retail inflation eased to a three-month low in July, back within the Reserve Bank’s tolerance level (2 per cent-6 per cent) after staying above the upper band for two straight months.
• NITI Aayog has released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informed it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. for deficiencies in regulatory compliances.
• RBL Bank has chosen Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, as its preferred cloud provider to strengthen its AI powered banking solutions and drive digital transformation at the Bank, adding significant value to the Banks innovative offerings, saving costs, and tightening risk controls.
• Deutsche Bank, a leading German bank with strong European roots and a global network spread across 59 countries, has received approval from the GIFT SEZ Authority to set up an IFSC banking unit at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at GIFT City, Gujarat.
• Cashify, a re-commerce marketplace that sells and buys used smart phones and other electronic gadgets, has appointed Rajkummar Rao as its first brand ambassador.
• Senior IPS officer Sudhir Kumar Saxena was appointed as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.
• As many as 152 police officers in the country have been conferred with the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for 2021 for their high professional standards of investigation of crime.
• Union Govt. announces winners of Prime Minister’s Shram Awards (PMSA) for 2018 comprising Shram Bhushan, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards
• Recognizing the role of innovations to strengthen India’s response to COVID-19 crisis and preparedness for emerging healthcare needs, the National Health Authority has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
• On Aug 06, 2021, to the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting, the Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India’s delegation.
• Secretary, DOS and Chairman of ISRO Dr K Sivan, inaugurated the ‘Health QUEST study (Health Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology of ISRO)’ through videoconferencing.
• The Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has been named the “Best Airport in the World” in the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
• The number of billionaires in India came down to 136 in 2020-21 from 141 in 2019-20, based on the gross total income declared in the income tax return.
• On Aug 09, 2021, the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu released a new book titled ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, New Delhi.
• Asia’s oldest and world’s third oldest football tournament, Durand Cup’s 130th Edition, is scheduled to be held at Kolkata between September 05 to October 03, 2021.
• The International Cricket Council has confirmed it will campaign for the inclusion of the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has accomplished number 2 rank in the World Athletics ranking  2021 after winning the gold medal in Tokyo.