Current Affairs 17th August 2021| Current Affairs News

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

AIIMS Delhi became first Indian hospital to house fire station inside premises

• Director Dr Randeep Guleria stated The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi, has become the first hospital in India to house a fire station inside the hospital premises.
• Making the announcement at a function to mark the 75th Independence Day, he informed that the AIIMS has joined hands with the Delhi Fire Service for the purpose.
• The fire station, meant for quick response in case of fire emergency, will have its infrastructure developed by the AIIMS, while the fire tender, equipment, and manpower will be managed by the DFS.
• “DFS has joined hand with AIIMS to open a fire station inside the Hospital to meet any emergency. 
• AIIMS become a First Hospital in the country to have fire station on its campus, Infrastructure will be provided by the AIIMS& manpower etc will be managed by DFS”.

About AIIMS Delhi:

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi is a public hospital and medical research university based in New Delhi, India.
• The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Rank of AIIMS Delhi in world: 873

Govt notified Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to phase out single use plastic by 2022, keeping in view the adverse impacts of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
• Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries.
• India is committed to take action for mitigation of pollution caused by littered Single Use Plastics.
• In the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, India had piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution, recognizing the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue.
• The adoption of this resolution at UNEA 4 was a significant step.
• The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022:-
• earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;
• Plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.

Previous rule:

• The waste management infrastructure in the States/UTs is being strengthened through the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• The following steps have also been taken to strengthen implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and also to reduce the use of identified single use plastic items:
• The States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

National Hydrogen Mission to make India 

• Hydrogen is the latest buzz for meeting the world’s energy needs.
• Being the cleanest form of energy, it can be produced from a variety of resources, such as natural gas, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind.
• It can be used in cars, in houses, for portable power and in many more applications.
• No doubt, it is gaining currency in India like other places in the world.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a National Hydrogen Mission.

National Hydrogen Mission:

• “Green Hydrogen is the future of the world.
• The setting up of the National Hydrogen Mission with the aim of becoming the new global hub of Green Hydrogen, and also its largest exporter“.
• The Mission was first announced in this year’s Union Budget in February and companies have since then queued up to announce projects.
• But neither that announcement nor Modi’s speech defined production or capacity targets.
• Green hydrogen, derived from water electrolysis using renewable energy such as solar or wind, will replace carbon-emitting fuels used in the refinery to process crude oil into value-added products, such as petrol and diesel.
• Currently, all hydrogen consumed in India comes from fossil fuels.
• By 2050, three-fourth of all hydrogen is projected to be green — produced by renewable electricity and electrolysis.
• Hydrogen also helps India meets its climate commitment.

PM announces – Rice provided under any scheme will be fortified by 2024

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will fortify the rice distributed to the poor via different schemes such as Midday Meal in a bid to address the problem of malnutrition.
• “Malnutrition and lack of micro-nutrients are affecting the growth of poor children.
• Modi stated in his Independence Day speech Looking at this, it has been decided to fortify the rice given to the poor via different government schemes”.
• Through ration shops or the Midday Meal scheme, the rice made available under every government programme will be fortified by the year 2024.
• Currently, out of the 15 states identified for the ”Central scheme on fortified rice and its distribution via a public distribution system (PDS)”, five are implementing it in one district each on a pilot basis.
• Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh have started distributing fortified rice — mixed with nutrients — in their respective identified district.

Government has planned to open all Sainik schools to girls

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that all Sainik Schools in the country will now be open for girls also. 
• At present, 33 Sainik schools are operating in the country.
• During his Independence Day speech, the prime minister mentioned those two-and-a-half years ago, the maiden experiment of admitting girls in Sainik schools was carried out in Mizoram.

About Sainik Schools:

• These schools are the brainchild of VK Krishna Menon, who was the Union defence minister from April 1957 to October 1962.
• Menon conceived this idea in 1961.
• An All India Sainik School Entrance Examination (AISSEE) is conducted for admission to Sainik Schools, which follow the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum.
• For classes 6 and 9, students are granted admission on the basis of their performance in the entrance exam.
• For class 11, the basis of admission is marks scored in class 10 board exams.
• However, it is to be noted that 67% seats are reserved for students who are from the home state of a Sainik School. 
• The remaining 33% students are admitted from outside the home state.
• There is reservation also on the basis of Scheduled Castes (15%), Scheduled Tribes (7.5%), Other Backward Classes (27%) and forwards of current and former servicemen (25%).
• At present, there are 33 such schools in the country.
• Uttar Pradesh has three Sainik Schools, while Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan have two schools each.
• These schools are run by the Sainik Schools Society under the Union ministry of defence (MoD).
• As the name suggests, Sainik Schools prepare students for a career in the armed forces.
• Hence students here are called “cadets” and have to follow strict rules, which are on the lines of those in military academies.
• As a pilot project, Sainik School in Mizoram’s Chhingchhip began admitting girls from October 2019.
• PM Modi mentioned the school while making the announcement.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs gave approval to proposals for construction of 16,488 houses

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved proposals for construction of 16,488 houses at the 55th meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
• The houses are proposed to be constructed under Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) verticals of PMAY-U.
• With this, the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY-U has now gone up to over 113 lakh.
• Of them, 85.65 lakh houses have been grounded for construction and more than 51 lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Durga Shanker Mishra stated that the demand for sanction has saturated in all States and Union Territories and and work should be done expeditiously towards completing all the projects within stipulated time.
• The approval for proposals under Model-2 of Affordable Rental Housing Complexes was also reviewed by the Secretary with five states, namely Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana:

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is an initiative by the Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor with a target of building 2 crore affordable houses by 31 March 2022.
• Launch year: 2015
• Launched by (prime minister): Narendra Modi
• Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

The following individuals and families are eligible for this scheme:

• Economically Weaker Section (EWS) – Families with an annual income up to Rs. 3 Lakh.
• Low Income Group (LIG) – Families with an annual income between Rs. 3 Lakh and Rs. 6 Lakh.
• Middle Income Group I (MIG I) – Families within an annual income between Rs. 6 Lakh and Rs. 12 Lakh.
• Middle Income Group II (MIG II) – Families with an annual income between Rs. 6 Lakh and Rs. 12 Lakh.
• Women belonging to EWS and LIG categories.
• Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC).
• In addition to the above, beneficiaries can avail the benefits of this scheme by meeting the following few eligibility criteria –
• He/she must not own a house to fulfil the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana eligibility.
• The individual must also not avail the benefits of any other housing scheme by the State or Central Government.

MIB & Jal Shakti Ministers jointly launch Season-2 of ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’

• Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel launched Season-2 of ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’.
• The first episode will be broadcast from 21st of August on Doordarshan.
• Minister Anurag Thakur mentioned, ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’ serials were very popular among the audience during the lockdown because they connected people with their heritage.
• He stated, ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ Season-1 was also watched by a huge audience.
• He noted, the right content should be made so that Doordarshan can grab more eyeballs.
• The Minister informed that in the next three to four years Doordarshan will become the most watched channel.
• He added that the channel will create the right content for the platform to bring viewers to Doordarshan.

About the serial:

• The travelogue, consisting of 26 episodes is being anchored by a well-known actor, Rajeev Khandelwal and will go on air from 21st Aug 2021 every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 P.M. on DD National.
• Season-2 of Rag Rag Mein Ganga will be dedicated to Arth-Ganga, the river that laid foundation to expansion of our civilization.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WHO creates Advisory Group named “SAGO”

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new advisory group named, The International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO.
• The function of SAGO will be to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.
• WHO has made an open call for nominations to SAGO from the member countries, thus providing a transparent foundation for the new scientific advisory group.
• The group will also work towards finding the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

About WHO:

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 7 April 1948
• Director-General: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Malaysia’s PM Muhyiddin Yassin resigned

• Malaysia’s Muhyiddin Yassin has stepped down as prime minister after months of political turmoil culminated in the loss of his majority.
• Muhyidddin’s departure comes less than 18 months after taking office and will plunge the country into a fresh crisis amid a worsening pandemic.
• Political leaders have already begun to jostle for the top post, with his deputy Ismail Sabri rallying support to succeed Mr. Muhyiddin and keep the government intact.

About Malaysia:

• Capital: Kuala Lumpur
• Currency: Malaysian ringgit

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

Chhattisgarh became first state to recognise Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights in an urban area

• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State, August 9 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.

Recognized Community Resource Rights:

• 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
• 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.

Forest Rights Act:

• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 is also known as the Forest Rights Act.
• The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest-dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation, and other socio-cultural needs.
• The Act provides certain individual rights such as Rights of Self-cultivation and Habitation and community rights such as grazing, fishing, and access to water bodies in forests, community right to intellectual property and traditional knowledge etc.
• The Act empowers the forest dwellers to access and use the forest resources in the manner that they were traditionally accustomed to, to protect, conserve and manage forests, protect forest dwellers from unlawful evictions, and also provides for basic development facilities for the community of forest dwellers to access facilities of education, health, nutrition, infrastructure, etc.

Odisha govt. to give smart health cards under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana 

• The Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana will enable each family to get up to Rs.5 lakh as treatment cost a year.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated Odisha would provide smart health cards to 3.5 crore people in the State under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), which would enable each family to get treatment cost up to Rs.5 lakh per annum.
• Odisha to be the first State in the country to provide such smart health cards.
• The BSKY was redesigned to provide smart health cards to people that would work as a debit cards for a certain amount.

About the scheme:

• According to the re-launched BSKY, each family can avail treatment cost up to 5 lakh per annum while women members can avail this benefit up to Rs.10 lakh every year.
• The health scheme is meant for 5 crore people in 96 families.
• Stating that the initiative would transform health service delivery system and create history in the health sector of the country, Mr. Patnaik stated the beneficiaries could avail health services in more than 200 hospital chains of the country, including Odisha.
• “This card will be given to all the beneficiaries phase wise.
• Beneficiaries of national and State food security schemes, Annapurna and Antodaya, will get this card.
• It will go a long way in strengthening health security of people of Odisha”.

About Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• Chief minister:Naveen Patnaik
• National Parks: Similipal National Park, Bhitarkanika National Park.

Tamil Nadu government appointed trained aspirants of all castes as priests in temples

• In an effort to fulfill their poll promises, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government appointed nearly 24 trained ‘archakas’ of various communities as priests in shrines, August 14.
• During the poll campaign, the DMK had assured to appoint temple priest aspirants belonging to all castes.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin distributed appointment orders of the HR and CE Department to 75 persons marking appointments to 208 positions under various categories. 
• The state government stated that the 208 appointees include “Bhattacharyas,” “Odhuvars” Poojaris, and technical and office assistants who were recruited after due process.
• He handover appointment orders to 58 trained archakas including 24 aspirants who had formally completed training in a state-run center for becoming priests in Hindu temples, 34 others who completed ‘archaka’ training in other ‘patashalas.’
• Odhuvaras are trained in Tamil Shaivite tradition to recite and sing devotional hymns composed by Shaivite saints including Appar and Manickavasagar in praise of Lord Shiva while Bhattacharyas are Vaishnavite priests.

Tamil Nadu: become 3^rd state to put Separate budget for agriculture presented for the first time in the state

• On August 14, Tamil Nadu will become the third state — after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh — to have a separate agricultural budget.
• While experts believe that this is nothing more than a political move, data available from Andhra Pradesh indicates that such a move might actually boost the sector.
• The tradition of having an exclusive budget for agriculture was started by Karnataka in 2011-12 in order to give a focused approach to the sector.
• Andhra Pradesh followed in 2013-14, terming it as a policy paper on agriculture.
• Though states like Telangana, Rajasthan and Bihar too had similar plans, they did not take off due to various legal and technical reasons.
• Telangana had backed out of a plan of having a separate budget citing Rule 150 of the legislative guidelines which states that only receipts and expenditure were treated as budget.
• Telangana was of the view that other plans, programmes and schemes would come under bills and could not be treated as separate budgets.

Tamil Nadu: first state to cut petrol price in 2021-22; by Rs. 3/litre

• In a major relief to consumers, the price of petrol in Tamil Nadu has been slashed by Rs.3, State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan announced during his budget speech.
• He stated This, was on the direction of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and is expected to cause a revenue loss of 1,160 crore to the state exchequer.
• The reduction in petrol prices in Tamil Nadu will come into effect from 14 August.
• FM Thiagarajan presented its revised budget for 2021-22.
• “This Government has decided to reduce the effective rate of tax on petrol by Rs.3 per litre and thereby provide major relief to the toiling working-class people in the State.
• This measure will result in a loss of revenue of 1,160 crore a year“.

About TamilNadu:

• Capital: Chennai
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief minister: M. K. Stalin

Venkaiah Naidu laid foundation stone of Innovation and Development Centre at JNCASR, Bengaluru

• The Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled the foundation stone of Innovation and Development Centre of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, JNCASR in Bengaluru.
• It will be developed into a facility where laboratory inventions will be taken forward for scale-up and technology transfer.
• Start-up from inventors within the Centre and from other institutions in Bengaluru and across the country will also be hosted in this new facility.
• Scientists will be provided with state-of-the-art processing and prototyping tools to enable translation of inventions.
• During the foundation stone unveiling ceremony Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj S. Bommai graced the occasion.

About Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Thawar Chand Gehlot
• Chief minister:Basavaraj Bommai
• National Parks: Bannerghatta National Park, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Kudremukh National Park, Anshi National Park.

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar initiates world’s second-largest refurbished gene bank in New Delhi

• Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the world’s second-largest refurbished National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa in New Delhi.
• The Gene Bank was established in 1996 to preserve the seeds of Plant Genetic Resources for future generations.
• It has the capacity to preserve about ten lakh germplasm in the form of seeds.
• Presently, it is protecting four lakh 52 thousand accessions, of which over two lakh are Indian germplasm.
• Mr Tomar stated that the farmers of India are fully capable of accepting the challenges faced by the agriculture sector and conquering them.
• He stated that the country’s farmers are skilled human resources even without any major educational degree.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Bharat Petroleum introduces door-to-door delivery of ‘High-Speed Diesel’

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has launched door-to-door delivery of ‘High-Speed Diesel’ to meet the growing demand.
• Celebrating the ‘spirit of nationalism’, the company on the eve of Independence Day also dedicated 15 mobile browsers and 9 jerry can facilities in different corners of the Eastern Region.
• The initiative of door-to-door delivery through mobile dispensers has resulted in commissioning of 1588 FuelKarts and 129 FuelEnts within a span of about two years across the industry.

About Bharat Petroleum:

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is an Indian government-owned oil and gas corporation.
• It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• It operates two large refineries in Kochi and Mumbai.
• Headquarters: Mumbai

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

KVG Bank unveiled FRUITS portal

• The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB), in association with the Karnataka government, has launched ‘Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System’ (FRUITS) portal.
• Inaugurating the portal in Dharwad, Niraj Kumar Verma, Chief General Manager of Nabard, stated the FRUITS portal is the first of its kind in the country where in the land and other details of all the farmers in the State are being captured.
• In this latest initiative by the Karnataka government, all the farmers will be registered and given a FRUITS ID (FID) number.
• Using this number, the financial and lending institutions can access the land details of farmers as well as their borrowings and take a quick decision on lending to them depending on their requirements.
• Appreciating KVGB for accepting the FRUITS pilot project, he hoped that all financial institutions will be on boarded to the portal soon so as to have a single data source of farmers.

About KVG Bank:

• The Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank, an Indian Regional Rural Bank sponsored by Canara Bank.
• It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• The bank provides retail banking services to rural users and has 628 branches in areas of Karnataka, around North and Western Karnataka.
• Headquarters: Dharwad

HDFC Bank gave approval to issue of AT1 bonds

• HDFC Bank stated the bank plans to raise capital by additional tier- I (AT1) bonds in the overseas market to fund its business growth.
• The bank is expected to raise up to USD 1 billion from these dollars denominated bonds.
• “Bank informed that the bank had approved the issuing of debt instruments in the form of the notes, subject to market conditions”.
• An offering memorandum (OM) has been prepared and shall be made available to the prospective investors in relation to the contemplated issue of notes.
• The notes will not be offered or sold in India under the applicable laws, including the Companies Act, 2013, as amended from time to time.

About HDFC Bank:

• 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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Kovalam Lit Award conferred for Prabha Varma

• Eminent poet Prabha Varma has been selected for this year’s Padmaprabha Literary Award.
• The award carries a purse of Rs 75,000, a gem-studded ring and plaque.
• He was selected by a panel headed by M. Mukundan.
• Other members of the panel were V. Madhusoodhanan Nair and Khadija Mumtaz, stated Chairman of the Padmaprabha Foundation M P Veerendrakumar.

About Prabha Varma:

• Prabha Varma is a poet who led the heritage of Malayalam poetry that is metrical and linguistically perfect into the modern age.
• Prabha Varma, son of Payyannur native T. K. Narayanan Namboothiri and N. Pankajakshi Thamburatti, had his schooling from Ayarkkattuvayal Pioneer School and Thrikkodithanam Government School.
• Later he completed MA and LLB also.
• His major works are Syamamadhavam, Souparnika, Arkkapoornima, Chandananazhi, Ardram, Avicharitham, Rathiyude Kavyapadam, Drishyamadhyamangalude Samskaram, Kevalathvavum Bhavukathvavum, Sandehiyude Ekanthayatra and Manjinod Veyilenna Poleyum.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

Tata Motors partners with Bank of Maharashtra

• Homegrown auto major Tata Motors stated it has partnered with Bank of Maharashtra to offer retail financing st for its passenger vehicles.
• Under the partnership, Bank of Maharashtra will provide loans to Tata Motors’ customers at an interest rate starting from as low as 15 per cent linked with Repo Linked Lending Rate (RLLR), subject to certain conditions.
• Besides, the scheme will offer a maximum of 90 per cent financing on the total cost of the vehicle (on-road pricing) for various individuals like salaried employees, self-employed people, professionals, businessmen, and agriculturist.
• On the other hand, a maximum of 80 per cent financing can be availed on the cost of the vehicle by corporate clients.
• The partnership with Bank of Maharashtra is aimed at offering special finance schemes to support to the company’s customers in these tough times, it added.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI approves acquisition of Bikaji Foods International Limited by Lighthouse Funds

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition by Lighthouse India Fund III, Limited (Fund III) and Lighthouse India III Employee Trust (Lighthouse Employee Trust) of Bikaji Foods International Limited (Target) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The Proposed Combination involves acquisition of additional 2.727% of equity shareholding in the Target by Fund III and Lighthouse Employee Trust.
• Currently, Lighthouse Funds has 472% equity shareholding in Bikaji through one of its funds.

About Lighthouse Funds :

• Lighthouse Funds is a US based company and acts as the sponsor and controls private equity funds that make investments in consumer companies in India.
• Till now, it has raised three private equity funds that are domiciled in Mauritius.
• Fund III is one of these three funds and Lighthouse Employee Trust is a trust settled in India.

About CCI :

• Founded: 14 October 2003
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson :  Ashok Kumar Gupta
• First executive: Dhanendra Kumar

About Bikaji Foods International Limited :

• Owner : Shivratan Agarwal
• Bikaji Foods International Limited provides food products.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT

All India Elephant & Tiger population estimation Protocol   

• On the Occasion of World Elephant Day 2021, Environment, Forest and Climate Change minister Bhupender Yadav released the all India Elephant and Tiger population estimation protocol.
• For the First time the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is converging elephant and tiger population estimation.
• The protocol will be adopted in the exercise, which will be taken up for All India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022.
• The programme also witnessed release of the fourth edition of the quarterly newsletter “Trumpet” of the Elephant Division.

About World Elephant Day 2021 :

• World Elephant Day 2021 is Celebrated in Aug 12, 2021.
• In 2021, it was celebrated at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The day is celebrated to recognise the importance of elephants in our ecosystem.
• It also focuses on spreading awareness about their preservation and protection.
• The current population estimates indicate that there are about 50,000 -60000 Asian elephants in the world.
• Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

About MoEFCC :

• Founded: 1947
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Union Minister :  Bhupender Yadav
• Union Minister of State : Ashwini Kumar Choubey

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book Titled Art Cinema And India’s Forgotten Futures: Film And History in the PostColony” authored by Rochona Majumdar       

• A New Book Tiled Art Cinema And India’s Forgotten Futures: Film And History in the PostColony” authored by film historian Rochona Majumdar.
• The Book Published by Columbia University Press & it will be released in Sep 2021.

About the Book :

• The book analyses films by the legendary filmmaker triumvirate Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak as “unique readings of India’s historical situation in the 1960s and 1970s”.
• The book examines key works of Indian art cinema.

About Rochona Majumdar :

• Rochona Majumdar is an associate professor in the Departments of South Asian Languages and Civilizations and Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago.

Other Books :

• Marriage and Modernity: Family Values in Colonial Bengal (2009) and Writing Postcolonial History (2010).

Book Titled book, “The Dream of Revolution: A Biography of Jayaprakash Narayan to explore life and works of Jayaprakash Narayan    

• A New book titled , “The Dream of Revolution: A Biography of Jayaprakash Narayan” to explore life and works of independence activist Jayaprakash Narayan.
• The book, written by historian Bimal Prasad and authored by Sujata Prasad.
• The Book Published by Penguin Random House India & it will be released on August 23, 2021.

About the Book :

• The Book deals with anecdotes and never-before-told stories from the life of the man who was known for his “emotional hunger for transformative politics, shunning power and incubating revolutionary ideas”.
• The book presents a comprehensive study of JP’s life and ideas right from the initial development of his thought process at American university campuses in the 1920s to his political coming of age in the 1930s, and from his fractious friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru to his relentless crusade against the stifling of dissent during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency in 1975.

About Jayaprakash Narayan :

• Popularly known as the Hero of Quit India Movement.
• In 1999, he was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, in recognition of his social service.
• In 1965 he received the Magsaysay award for his Public Service.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

World Archery Youth Championships 2021: Komalika Bari Becomes Junior Recurve World Champion

• In World Archery Youth Championships 2021, Komalika Bari became the new under-21 recurve world champion in Wroclaw, Poland.
• Komalika clinched two gold medals including one with Parth Salunkhe in junior mixed team.

About Komalika Bari :

• In 2019, she won the U-18 title in Madrid.
• She became the second Indian woman after Deepika Kumari to claim both the U-21 World Championship and the U-18 title.

20-year-old Harshit Raja becomes India’s 69th Chess Grandmaster

• Harshit Raja, the 20-year-old youngster from Pune Maharashtra, has become the 69th Grandmaster of India in Chess after drawing his game against Dennis Wagner at the Biel Masters Open 2021.

About Harshit Raja :

• Harshit Raja won silver in U-13 National Chess Championship in Jamshedpur in 2014
• He won gold in the SGFI Nationals held in Tamil Nadu in 2014.
• He represented India in the World Youth Chess Championship U-14 in Greece, 2015.
• In 2016, he was honoured with ‘Best Upcoming Player’ in Maharashtra Chess League in Pune.
• Raja became an International Master in 2017.

Awards & Honours :

• He was awarded ‘Finest Upcoming Participant’ in Maharashtra Chess League in Pune.
• Raja was honored with the Shiv Chhatrapati award in 2019.

About Grandmaster Title :

• Grandmaster (GM) title is awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE, and is the highest title a chess player can attain.

Indian Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani wins Spilimbergo Open chess 2021 

• The 15-year old Young Indian Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani 19th Spilimbergo Open chess tournament by draw in the ninth and final round against GM Adam Kozak of Hungary.
• Sadhwani (Elo 2579) remained undefeated in the tournament, notching up five wins and four draws.

About Raunak Sadhwani :

• Raunak Sadhwani achieved the title of Grandmaster at age 13.
• He is the 9th youngest player in history and the 4th youngest Indian to become a Grandmaster.
• Raunak was U-10 Commonwealth Champion in 2015 in New Delhi.
• In July 2021, he won the 40th St Veiter Jacques Lemans Open 2021.
• Raunak Sadhwani is the 65th Grandmaster of India.

Note :

• Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali finished 14th with six points and was the best among the women competitors.

Spilimbergo Open chess 2021 :

• The Chess Tournament was held from 11th Aug to 15th Aug 2021 in Spilimbergo, Italy.

German GM Alexander Donchenko wins International Chess Festival “RTU Open 2021”

• Germany’s Alexander Donchenko won the title of  International Chess Festival “RTU Open 2021” with 5 points from nine rounds in Riga, Latvia
• Followed by the second place is the Grand Master of India Narayanan S.L and in the third place is the international master from Lithuania Tomas Laurušas.

Note :

• Director of RTU Sports Center : Egons Lavendelis.

About Alexander Donchenko :

• Alexander Anatolyevich Donchenko is the son of Anatoly Donchenko , an international master.
• Donchenko earned his international master title in 2012 and his grandmaster title in 2015.
• He is the 3 ranked German player as of August 2021.

About FIDE :

• Founded: 20 July 1924, Paris, France
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
• Motto : We are one people
• In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• Member federations of FIDE : 195

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

Padma Bhushan awardee Mian Bashir Ahmed Passes away

• On Aug 14, 2021, Prominent Gujjar leader and Padma Bhushan awardee Mian Bashir Ahmed Passed away.
• He was 98.

About Mian Bashir Ahmed :

• Born in November 1923,  Jammu and Kashmir.
• Mian Bashir Ahmed was a minister in Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s cabinet.
• Later, he left politics and started working for Islamic Sufi tradition and to help downtrodden people.
• Ahmed was the son of top Gujjar leader and saint Mian Nizam Din Larvi and father of former Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Mian Altaf Ahmad.

Awards & Honours :

• On 26 January 2008, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan award for his extraordinary service for Gujjar-Bakarwal community and other downtrodden groups.

Daily CA On Aug 15 & 16 :

• PM Modi announces August 14 to be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the national flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort to celebrate the country’s 75th Independence Day
• Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy inaugurated an Exhibition – Katha Kranthiveeron Ki to mark the 75th years of Independence as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav at Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has approved 144 Gallantry awards to Armed Forces, police and paramilitary personnel on the eve of Independence Day.
• PM Modi stated the Gatishakti plan will help local manufacturers turn globally competitive and also develop possibilities of new future economic zones.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a new target of making India an ‘Energy Independent’ nation by the time the country reaches 100 years of India’s independence, in 2047.
• 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 “IndiGau’, India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like, Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc.
• The Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani, on the eve of Independence Day, launched 2nd phase of SAMVAD programme in Bengaluru and commemorated the successful completion of one year of SAMVAD – Support, Advocacy & Mental health interventions for children in Vulnerable circumstances And Distress.
• On the occasion of 75thIndependence Day, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar Participating in ‘Operation Blue Freedom’.
• The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after terrorists took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as US-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled to evacuate their citizens.
• Four new sites in India added to Ramsar list as ‘wetlands of International importance’, These sites are: Thol, Gujarat, Wadhwana, Gujarat, Sultanpur, Haryana, Bhindawas, Haryana
• The Kerala Police will launch a first-of-its-kind Drone Forensic Lab and Research Centre to address a rising security threat.
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel greeted people on the country’s 75th Independence Day and announced the creation of four new districts in the state as well as development of parks exclusively for women in all districts of the state.
• Tamil Nadu government will launch a State Level Credit Guarantee Scheme to enable more MSMEs, particularly micro enterprises to access credit.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Vehicle Scrappage Policy while virtually addressing the Gujarat Investor Summit.
• The Indian Navy has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) FIRST Bank to initiate ‘Honour FIRST’, a premium banking solution for serving personnel and veterans of the Indian Navy.
• Godrej Industries Limited (GIL) Chairman Adi Godrej will step down from the board of Godrej Consumer Products Limited.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has conferred the Shaurya Chakra on the Air force officers, Wing Commander Varun Singh Flying who is a pilot in a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Squadron for the act of exceptional gallantry.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin presented the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Shanmuga Priya, posthumously, at the Independence Day celebrations at Fort St. George.
• Bengaluru girl Manasa Gonchigar is one of the 10 young winning entrepreneur teams of the agri-enterprise challenge O.L.V.E.D (Social Objectives-Led Volunteer Enterprise Developed), who were felicitated by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
• A social activist from Karimnagar district has received the National Youth Award for the year 2017-18, which is the highest award conferred on youths in India by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs for those who render outstanding service in the field of social service and fall in the 18-29 years age group.
• Public sector Indian Bank stated it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) as one of the banking partners of the Paralympic Games scheduled to commence from August 24 in Tokyo, Japan.
• The government of Bangladesh will sign an MoU for the co-production of the COVID 19 vaccine with China.
• Chief Election Commissioner of India & Chairman of FEMBoSA, Sushil Chandra inaugurated the 11th Annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2021 Virtually.
• On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Independence Day, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCL Technologies, HCL Foundation, launched an online portal, ‘My e-Haat’
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched an online portal Training for Augmenting Productivity and Services, or TAPAS.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), GSLV-F10 failed to place Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-03) into earth’s orbit.
• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have developed a novel method of using infra-red technology to rapidly test which patients are most at risk of becoming severely unwell from Covid-19.
• A New Book Titled Ramrao: The Story of India’s Farm Crisis authored by Journalist Jaideep Hardikar.
• 2021 World Archery Youth Championships, India won 3 gold medals in the compound cadet women’s and men’s and mixed team events in Wroclaw, Poland.
• On Aug 15, 2021, Footballer Gerd Muller, the Bayern Munich and Germany legend, passed away.
• On Aug 15, 2021, Former India defender Chinmoy Chatterjee Passed away.

Daily CA On Aug 17 :

• Director Dr Randeep Guleria stated The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi, has become the first hospital in India to house a fire station inside the hospital premises.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to phase out single use plastic by 2022, keeping in view the adverse impacts of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
• On India’s 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the National Hydrogen Mission (NHM).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will fortify the rice distributed to the poor via different schemes such as Midday Meal in a bid to address the problem of malnutrition.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that all Sainik Schools in the country will now be open for girls also. 
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved proposals for construction of 16,488 houses at the 55th meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
• Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel launched Season-2 of ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new advisory group named, The International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO.
• Malaysia’s Muhyiddin Yassin has stepped down as prime minister after months of political turmoil culminated in the loss of his majority.
• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State, August 9 to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas.
• The Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana will enable each family to get up to Rs.5 lakh as treatment cost a year.
• Tamil Nadu government appointed trained aspirants of all castes as priests in temples
• On August 14, Tamil Nadu will become the third state after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to have a separate agricultural budget.
• In a major relief to consumers, the price of petrol in Tamil Nadu has been slashed by Rs.3, State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan announced during his budget speech.
• The Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled the foundation stone of Innovation and Development Centre of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, JNCASR in Bengaluru.
• Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the world’s second-largest refurbished National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa in New Delhi.
• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has launched door-to-door delivery of ‘High-Speed Diesel’ to meet the growing demand.
• The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB), in association with the Karnataka government, has launched ‘Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System’ (FRUITS) portal.
• HDFC Bank stated the bank plans to raise capital by additional tier- I (AT1) bonds in the overseas market to fund its business growth.
• Eminent poet Prabha Varma has been selected for this year’s Padmaprabha Literary Award.
• Homegrown auto major Tata Motors stated it has partnered with Bank of Maharashtra to offer retail financing for its passenger vehicles.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves acquisition by Lighthouse India Fund III, Limited (Fund III) and Lighthouse India III Employee Trust (Lighthouse Employee Trust) of Bikaji Foods International Limited (Target) under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• On the Occasion of World Elephant Day 2021, Environment, Forest and Climate Change minister Bhupender Yadav released the all India Elephant and Tiger population estimation protocol.
• A New Book Tiled Art Cinema And India’s Forgotten Futures: Film And History in the PostColony” authored by film historian Rochona Majumdar.
• A New book titled , “The Dream of Revolution: A Biography of Jayaprakash Narayan” to explore life and works of independence activist Jayaprakash Narayan.
• In World Archery Youth Championships 2021, Komalika Bari became the new under-21 recurve world champion in Wroclaw, Poland.
• Harshit Raja, the 20-year-old youngster from Pune Maharashtra, has become the 69th Grandmaster of India in Chess after drawing his game against Dennis Wagner at the Biel Masters Open 2021.
• The 15-year old Young Indian Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani 19th Spilimbergo Open chess tournament by draw in the ninth and final round against GM Adam Kozak of Hungary.
• Germany’s Alexander Donchenko won the title of  International Chess Festival “RTU Open 2021” with 7.5 points from nine rounds in Riga, Latvia
• On Aug 14, 2021, Prominent Gujjar leader and Padma Bhushan awardee Mian Bashir Ahmed Passed away.