Daily Current Affairs August 11 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

The government introduced the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022, in the Lok-Sabha:

• A Bill to modify the Electricity Act to provide non-discriminatory open access to power suppliers’ distribution networks was submitted in Lok Sabha, prompting concerns from the Opposition, who said it sought to take away certain powers from the state governments.
• When introducing the Bill, RK Singh requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to submit it to a parliamentary standing committee for further consultations to resolve Opposition concerns.
• The Bill aims to allow for the privatization of power over communication lines.
• According to the Central Government, if the Bill is enacted in both Houses, customers would be able to pick their electrical supplier, just as they can for telephone, mobile, and internet services.
• The Bill proposes to alter Section 42 of the Electricity Act to provide non-discriminatory open access to a distribution licensee’s distribution network.

New Delhi hosted the ITU’s Regional Standardization Forum:

• The International Telecommunication Union’s Regional Standardization Forum for Asia and Oceania was held in New Delhi, and Devusinh Chauhan, the state minister for communications, spoke at the inaugural ceremony.
• The nation’s telecommunications network, by Devusinh Chauhan, is the second biggest in the world and provides the best rates.
• According to RSF, the market-friendly policies of the Union Government were responsible for the nation’s telecommunications network growth.
• Chauhan emphasized that the three pillars of Ease of Doing Business, Ease of Living, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat constitute the foundation of India’s telecommunications policy, which was developed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction.
• ITU is a specialized agency of the UN and was founded on May 17, 1865.
• Everything involving information and communication technology is under its control. Its original name was “International Telegraph Union.”
• In 1934, it received its current name.
• This is the oldest UN organization.

12th edition of Defence Expo to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat:

• The 12th edition of the Defense Expo, India’s biggest exhibition on land, naval, and homeland security systems, will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, according to the Ministry of Defense.
• The event will take place from October 18 through October 22, 2022.
• This edition’s subject is “Path to Pride,” which aims to inspire patriotic pride and motivate people to contribute to nation-building by developing a strong domestic defense sector.
• Three business days will be included in the five-day event, followed by two public days.
• Active involvement and coordinated efforts at all levels will be required to hold live demonstrations along the Sabarmati River Front on each of the five days showing the tools and expertise of the armed forces, DPSUs, and industry.
• The exhibition is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve self-reliance in defense and achieve an export of $5 billion by 2025.

Maharashtra Governor Inaugurates The 22nd ‘Bharat Rang Mahotsav’:

• The 22nd “Bharat Rang Mahotsav” was officially launched at Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
• The Union Ministry of Culture and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Akademi in the city are working together to organize the five-day theatre festival as a homage to our liberation heroes.
• To honor our liberation soldiers, the National School of Drama is putting up “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav, 2022 (Azadi Segment)”.
• From July 16 to August 14, 2022, 30 plays will be presented as a part of the 22nd Bharat Rang Mahotsav (Azadi Segment) in Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Nepal approves India’s hydropower board to study, and develop the West Seti project

• Nepal approved India’s hydropower board to study and develop 1,200MW hydropower projects in western Nepal.

About the West Seti project:

• The projects include 750MW West Seti Hydropower Project and 450MW Seti River (SR-6), a total of 6 joint storage projects.
• The Nepal Investment Board (NIB), the government body entitled to approve foreign investments, has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU0 with Indian developer National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Pvt Ltd, a Government of India Enterprise, for conducting a feasibility study of the joint development projects.
• The NHPC Limited under India’s Ministry of Power had submitted a proposal in May to develop the West Seti Hydropower Project.
• The decision was made during the 52nd meeting of the Nepal Investment Board held in Kathmandu chaired by Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba.
• The proposed dam site is located 82 km upstream of the confluence of the Seti and Karnali rivers, forming part of the Ganges basin.
• The project sites are located at elevations ranging from 550 to 920 meters and are spread across six districts.
• The estimated cost of the project, according to the Investment Board, is USD 2.4 billion.
• Also, the meeting decided to organize Sustainable Infrastructure Investment Forum 2022 in September 2022 in Kathmandu for promoting investment in sustainable infrastructure development in Nepal.

About Nepal :

• President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari
• Prime minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba
• Capital: Kathmandu
• Currency: Nepalese rupee

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Axis Bank Launches One-stop Cash Management Proposition 

• Axis Bank becomes the first Indian bank to launch Axis Receivables Suite (ARS)-an innovative Cash Management proposition.
• It simplifies Receivables reconciliation, accelerates cash flow, enhances the client experience, and reduces the cost of doing business.

About ARS :

• ARS is an end-to-end proposition, along with a mobile app to automate the reconciliation of receivables against sales invoices raised by clients.
• Using ARS, Axis Bank clients can customize and automate fully what has traditionally been a very time-consuming, costly, manual, and error-prone activity.
• Clients also benefit from knowing their upcoming/pending payments which give them real-time control over all their receivables.

About Axis Bank :

• Founded : 3 December 1993
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• MD & CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
• Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India.

IDFC FIRST Bank partners LetsVenture to support startups

• IDFC FIRST Bank and India’s leading early-stage platform for investors and founders, LetsVenture Technologies Pvt. Ltd has partnered to explore synergies and support the startup ecosystem by offering curated products and solutions to startups, founders and investors.
• An MoU to work on areas of mutual interest was signed between IDFC FIRST Bank LetsVenture Technologies at LetsVenture’s flagship event, ‘LetsIgnite’, for startups and founders in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The partnership makes IDFC FIRST Bank a preferred banker to all startups on LetsVenture’s Scalix, a newly launched platform that supports the startup ecosystem through fundraising solutions, knowledge series, and investor connect.

About IDFC FIRST Bank :

• Founded: October 2015
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Non-Exe. Chairman: Rajiv Lall
• MD & CEO : V. Vaidyanathan
• IDFC FIRST Bank was formed by the merger of erstwhile IDFC Bank, promoted by renowned infrastructure financing institution IDFC Ltd. and leading technology NBFC, Capital First.
• The Bank’s special ‘Founder Success Program’ offers knowledge series, masterclasses, and networking sessions to engage, groom and connect with startups and contribute to their success story.

About LetsVenture Technologies Pvt. Ltd :

• Founded: 2013
• Co-founder & CEO: Shanti Mohan
• LetsVenture is backed by Accel, Chiratae Ventures, Nandan Nilekani, Ratan Tata, Rishad Premji, Mohandas Pai, Sharad Sharma, and Anupam Mittal.

RBI prescribed norms for small finance banks to deal in forex

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that small finance banks which have completed two years of operations and have a minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore can deal in foreign exchange.
• To give more flexibility to SFBs to meet their customers’ foreign exchange business requirements, it has been decided that all the scheduled SFBs, after completion of at least two years of operations as Authorized Dealer Category-II, will be eligible for Authorized Dealer Category-I license, subject to compliance with prescribed eligibility norms

Key Highlights :

• As a Category-I authorized supplier, the small finance financial institution shall be allowed to deal in all different transactions in overseas trade like an invoice of trade, cheques, letters of credit score, deposits, and so on.
• While as a Category-II Authorized supplier the financial institution is allowed to supply solely cash altering services.
• Its Capital to Risk (weighted) Assets Ratio (CRAR) shouldn’t be lower than 15%.
• The internet NPAs of the financial institution mustn’t exceed 6%, throughout the earlier 4 quarters.
• It mustn’t have defaulted in the upkeep of CRR/ SLR throughout the earlier 2 years.

About RBI :

• Established: 1 April 1935
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Governor : Shaktikanta Das
• Deputy governors Mahesh Kumar Jain, Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Patra, and T. Rabi Shankar

RBI Allows IDBI Bank Bidders to Own More Than 40% Stake

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has permitted non-financial institutions and unregulated entities to own more than 40 percent stake in IDBI Bank
• The Union government and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) look to sell a 51-74 percent stake in the lender through the strategic divestment process.
• IDBI Bank has been categorized as a private lender for regulatory purposes by the RBI with effect from Jan. 21, 2019, after Life Insurance Corp. acquired 51% of its total paid-up equity share capital.

About IDBI Bank :

• Founded: 1 July 1964
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Chairman: M. R. Kumar
• MD & CEO: Rakesh Sharma

The IDBI is a subsidiary of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Papua New Guinea PM Mr. James Marape re-elected

• Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Mr. James Marape was sworn in for a second term.
• Voting in Papua New Guinea’s general election began on July 4 and ended on July 22, 2022.
• Rufina Peter has been elected as the governor for Central Province, as a member of Mr. O’Neill’s People’s National Congress (PNC) Party.

About Mr. James Marape :

• James Marape has been serving as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019.
• He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the electorate of the Tari-Pori Open in Hela Province.
• He has held Cabinet Posts as Minister of Education (2008–2011) and Minister of Finance (2012–2019).

About Papua New Guinea :

• Capital: Port Moresby
• Currency: Papua New Guinean kin
• Papua New Guinea got independence from Australia on 16 September 1975.

Power Grid Corporation appoints Mr. Pramod Kumar as CFO

• The Board of Directors of the Powergrid Corporation of India Limited has appointed Pramod Kumar as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

About Mr. Pramod Kumar :

• Pramod Kumar is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
• He has 35 years of experience in the Power Sector including Finance and Accounting functions i.e. finalization of Corporate Accounts, formulation of Capital Budget, etc.
• Before this, he served as the Executive Director (Finance) of Power Grid Corporation.

About Power Grid Corporation :

• Founded: 23 October 1989
• Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana, India
• Chairman & MD : Kandikuppa Sreekant
• It comes under the Ministry of Power, GoI.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

Indo-US Joint Special Forces Exercise Ex Vajra Prahar 2022 begins in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh

• The 13th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercises “Ex Vajra Prahar 2022” commenced at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS), Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
• The Indian Army contingent is represented by drawing Special Forces personnel under the aegis of SFTS, while the US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and Special Tactics Squadron (STS) of the US Special Forces.

Aim :

• To share best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics as also to improve interoperability between the Special Forces of both Nations.
• This annual exercise is hosted alternatively between India and the United States.
• The 12th edition was conducted at Joint Base Lewis Mcchord, Washington (USA) in October 2021.
• During the next 21 days, teams of both armies would jointly train, plan and execute a series of Special Operations, Counter Terrorist Operations, and Air Borne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain.

12th DefExpo to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from in October 2022

• The 12th edition of India’s prestigious biennial defense exhibition on Land, Naval, and Homeland Security systems, DefExpo 2022 will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.
• The theme of 2022 DefExpo is ‘Path to Pride’.
• The five-day event will witness three business days followed by two public days.
• DefExpo 2022 was earlier proposed to be held between March 10 to 14, 2022 in Gandhinagar & the defense ministry had postponed the event due to logistics problems being faced by participants.

About DefExpo 2022 :

• DefExpo 2022 will focus on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve self-reliance in defense and export of USD 5 billion by 2025.
• DefExpo 2022 will be held in a three-venue format across an area of 01+ lakh square meters at Helipad Exhibition Centre; inaugural event and seminars at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre and a Live demo at Sabarmati RiverFront.
• It will include live demonstrations at Sabarmati RiverFront to showcase the equipment and skill set of the armed forces, DPSUs (defense public sector units), and industry.
• This expo will help in boosting investment, discover avenues for technology absorption and expand manufacturing capabilities as well as capacities.

About Ministry of Defence :

• Defence Minister: Rajnath Singh
• Minister of State: Ajay Bhatt
• Defence Secretary: Dr. Ajay Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russia launches Iranian satellite into orbit

• Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying an Iranian remote sensing satellite Khayyam, into orbit from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.
• It’s named after Omar Khayyam, a Persian scientist who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries.
• Iran has stated that the satellite fitted with a high-resolution camera will be used for environmental monitoring and will remain fully under its control.
• The satellite would provide high-resolution surveillance images with a one-meter-per-pixel definition.
• It is designed to conduct scientific research, test inter-satellite communications channels technology, measure the level of electromagnetic radiation, and carry out Earth’s remote probing and environmental monitoring.

About Russia :

• President: Vladimir Putin
• Prime minister: Mikhail Mishustin
• Capital: Moscow
• Currency: Russian ruble

Google Launches ‘India Ki Udaan’ Project To Celebrate 75 Years Of Independence

• Google has launched an online project called ‘India Ki Udaan’ to mark 75 years of Independence India Ki Udaan – Software at the Sunder Nursery in Delhi in the presence of Union Culture and Tourism Minister Shri G Kishan Reddy.

About ‘India Ki Udaan’ :

• The Project executed by Google Arts and Culture celebrates the achievements of India and is based on the theme ‘Unwavering and undying spirit of India over these past 75 years.
• It features India’s rich cultural diversities, including iconic moments from the last 75 years.
• It is published in English and Hindi, the project allows people to explore over 120 illustrations and 21 stories created by 10 skillful artists.
• It will also include exhibitions from various institutions, including the Ministry of Tourism, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Heritage Directorate of the Indian Railways, the Museum of Art and Photography, & the Dastkari Haat Samiti.
• Google announced the launch of a series of unique initiatives across its products and services that will offer rich content and experience to its Indian users throughout the anniversary year.

About Google :

• Founded: September 4, 1998
• Headquarters: Mountain View, California, United States
• CEO: Sundar Pichai

106-year-old astronomical observatory in Bihar not on endangered heritage list – UNESCO

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that the 106-year-old astronomical observatory at Langat Singh College in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district has not been inscribed on its list of endangered heritage.
• The statement has been signed by Eric Falt, Director, UNESCO Office, New Delhi.
• This observatory was established in the college in 1916.
• It was the first of its kind in eastern India, imparting comprehensive knowledge specialized in astronomy.
• It was fully functional till the 1970s, before gradually turning inoperable.

Additional Info :

• The list of World Heritage Sites is maintained by the international ‘World Heritage Programme and administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

List of some UNESCO World heritage sites in India :

• Taj Mahal
• Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar
• Konark Sun Temple
• Ajanta Caves
• Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda

About UNESCO :

• Established: 16 November 1945
• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Director-General: Audrey Azoulay
• Member States:  193
• UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).

Aim :

• To promote world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Chess Olympiad 2026 to be hosted by Uzbekistan:

• Uzbekistan will host the 2026 Chess Olympiad, according to a tweet from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
• Their youthful team is now in the lead in the ongoing Chess Olympiad in Chennai.
• The Chess Olympiad is a biannual chess tournament in which teams from all around the world participate.
• FIDE is in charge of organizing the competition and selecting the host country.
• FIDE held an online chess competition in 2020 and 2021 with a short time limit that hurt contestants’ online ratings during the COVID-19 epidemic.

About FIDE:

• President: Arkady Dvorkovich Trending
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Founded: 20 July 1924, Paris, France
• Membership: 200

Tennis legend Serena Williams Announces Her Retirement from Tennis:

• Serena Williams, a tennis icon from the United States, has declared her retirement.
• Williams emphasized her family in the announcement, mentioning that her daughter, who is almost five years old, wants to be an older sister.
• Alexis Ohanian, the creator of Reddit, is Williams’ husband.
• Williams, who turns 41 next month, has won over $94 million in career prize money along with 73 singles wins and 23 doubles trophies.
• At age 17, she won her first major singles championship at the U.S. Open in 1999.
• The next year, she and her elder sister Venus won the first of their three Olympic doubles titles.
• At the 2012 London Olympics, she also won the gold medal in singles.
• She has kept track of sponsorships received from brands including Nike, Audemars Piguet, Away, Beats, Bumble, Gatorade, Gucci, Lincoln, Michelob, Nintendo, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Procter & Gamble.

Prabath Jayasuriya and Emma Lamb bags ICC Player of the Month for July 2022:

• The winners of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Player of the Month honors for July 2022 were named England batting all-rounder Emma Lamb and Sri Lankan spin wonder Prabath Jayasuriya.
• Emma Lamb was voted the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July following her thrilling start to life opening the batting in England’s victorious ODI series victory over South Africa.
• In the first attempt, Lamb wins the ICC Women’s Player of the Month title, defeating England’s Nat Sciver and India’s Renuka Singh.
• Prabath Jayasuriya beat Jonny Bairstow of England to win the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award because of a standout string of performances with the ball and his incredible tally of wickets.
• For the prestigious monthly honor, Jayasuriya defeated Jonny Bairstow of England and Gustav McKeon of France.

List of ICC Men’s Players:

• January 2022: Keegan Petersen (South Africa)
• February 2022: Shreyas Iyer (India)
• March 2022: Babar Azam (Pakistan)
• April 2022: Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)
• May 2022: Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)
• June 2022: Jonny Bairstow (England)

List of ICC Women’s Players:

• January 2022: Heather Knight (England)
• February 2022: Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
• March 2022: Rachael Haynes (Australia)
• April 2022: Alyssa Healy (Australia)
• May 2022: Tuba Hassan (Pakistan)
• June 2022: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa)

Nikhat Zareen and Sharath Kamal India’s flagbearers at the closing ceremony: Commonwealth Games 2022

• Boxer Nikhat Zareen and table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal have been named by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as India’s flag bearers at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham in 2022.
• In the boxing light flyweight event under the 50 kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, Achanta Sharath Kamal won gold by defeating Liam Pitchford in the finals, while Nikhat Zareen also took home gold by defeating Mc Naul in the same match.
• With gold in the men’s team and mixed team events as well as a silver in the men’s doubles, 40-year-old Sharath Kamal has an impressive collection of four medals from this round of the Games.
• In contrast, the boxing world champion is Nikhat Zareen.
• At the Commonwealth Games 2022, she took first place in the 50 kg light flyweight boxing competition, earning a gold medal.
• India’s flagbearers at the Commonwealth Games 2022 closing ceremony will be Nikhat Zareen and Sharath Kamal, it was confirmed.
• PV Sindhu and Manpreet Singh carried the flags at the Commonwealth Games 2022 opening ceremony.
• Anil Khanna, the interim president, IOA Secretary-General Rajeev Mehta, and Indian Chef for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games revealed the flag bearers for the closing ceremony.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

ZSI published a new book on more than 1000 bird species:

• In a field guide that was created by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the organization described around 1,331 distinct bird species that may be found in India.
• Director of ZSI Dhriti Banerjee says the book emphasizes high-quality photographs of birds, in contrast to earlier volumes that primarily employed drawings.
• Proper recordkeeping requires the accurate identification of each species.
• The ZSI organized two activities to advertise the book “Field Guide, Birds of India.” One occurred in Kolkata, and a second will take place in Mumbai.
• The writers of the book spoke with local birders and explained their motivation for writing this book to them.
• The ceremony was held at the auditorium of the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata, and the program will be held in Mumbai at the joint initiative of ZSI and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Former athlete PV Kamaraj passes away

• Former International athlete P. V. Kamaraj Passed away at the age of 68 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

About PV Kamaraj :

• PV Kamaraj was a native of Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, India
• He was part of the Indian 4x400m relay team that won bronze in the 1979 Asian championships in Tokyo.
• He retired as a Chief Reservation Officer with the Indian Railways and had contributed immensely to athletics in Tiruchi (hometown of Kamaraj).
• He was represented as part of the Tamil Nadu team, and has won a host of medals (including gold, silver, and bronze) in 400m hurdles in National inter-state meets and Open Nationals from 1977-80.
• He was a NIS-trained coach and had trained the Tamil Nadu state team for several years.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author David McCullough Passes away

• Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and renowned historian David McCullough Passed away at the age of 89 in Hingham, Massachusetts, United States.

About David Gaub McCullough :

• David Gaub McCullough was born in Pittsburgh in 1933.
• He was an American author, narrator, popular historian, and lecturer.
• His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968).
• He wrote nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman, John Adams (2001), Theodore Roosevelt, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Wright brothers (2015)

Awards & Honors :

• McCullough won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for Truman, a biography about the 33rd president of the United States, and another Prize in 2002 for John Adams, a biography about the second US president.
• He earned National Book Awards for The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal in 1978 and Mornings on Horseback in 1982.
• In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States’ highest civilian awards.
• In 2016, he received the United States Capitol Historical Society’s Freedom Award.

Former South African umpire Rudi Koertzen passes away

• Former South African cricket umpire Rudi Koertzen passed away in a car crash at the age of 73.

About Rudi Koertzen :

• Koertzen was born in Knysna, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, on 26 March 1949.
• He stood in 108 tests, a record 209 one-day internationals, and 14 T20s over an 18-year career.
• He began umpiring in 1981 before becoming a full-time umpire in 1992.
• He became the second umpire (after David Shepherd) to stand in 150 ODIs.
• He also became the second umpire, after Steve Bucknor, to stand in 100 Test matches.

AIADMK’s first-ever MP K. Maya Thevar passes away

• Former Member of Parliament and senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) politician K. Maya Thevar passed away at the age of 87 in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.

About  K. Maya Thevar :

• Maya Thevar was born on October 15, 1934, in Tamil Nadu.
• He started his career as a lawyer and practiced as an advocate at the Madras High Court.
• He moved to politics and joined AIADMK, and became the candidate for the first-ever Lok Sabha election faced by the AIADMK after the formation of the party in 1972 by former CM MG Ramachandran.
• He was also a former treasurer of AIADMK’s parliamentary party.
• Also, he was the first MP of the AIADMK from the Dindigul constituency who won on the two leaves symbol.

Daily CA on August 11:

• A Bill to modify the Electricity Act to provide non-discriminatory open access to power suppliers’ distribution networks was submitted in Lok Sabha, prompting concerns from the Opposition, who said it sought to take away certain powers from the state governments.
• The International Telecommunication Union’s Regional Standardization Forum for Asia and Oceania was held in New Delhi, and Devusinh Chauhan, the state minister for communications, spoke at the inaugural ceremony.
• The 12th edition of the Defense Expo, India’s biggest exhibition on land, naval, and homeland security systems, will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, according to the Ministry of Defense.
• The 22nd “Bharat Rang Mahotsav” was officially launched at Rabindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
• Uzbekistan will host the 2026 Chess Olympiad, according to a tweet from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
• Serena Williams, a tennis icon from the United States, has declared her retirement.
• The winners of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Player of the Month honors for July 2022 were named England batting all-rounder Emma Lamb and Sri Lankan spin wonder Prabath Jayasuriya.
• Boxer Nikhat Zareen and table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal have been named by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as India’s flag bearers at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham in 2022.
• In a field guide that was created by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the organization described around 1,331 distinct bird species that may be found in India.

• Nepal approved India’s hydropower board to study and develop 1,200MW hydropower projects in western Nepal.
• Axis Bank becomes the first Indian bank to launch Axis Receivables Suite (ARS)-an innovative Cash Management proposition.
• IDFC FIRST Bank and India’s leading early-stage platform for investors and founders, LetsVenture Technologies Pvt. Ltd has partnered to explore synergies and support the startup ecosystem by offering curated products and solutions to startups, founders and investors.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that small finance banks which have completed two years of operations and have a minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore can deal in foreign exchange.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has permitted non-financial institutions and unregulated entities to own more than 40 percent stake in IDBI Bank
• Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Mr. James Marape was sworn in for a second term.
• The Board of Directors of the Powergrid Corporation of India Limited has appointed Mr. Pramod Kumar as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• The 13th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercises “Ex Vajra Prahar 2022” commenced at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS), Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
• The 12th edition of India’s prestigious biennial defense exhibition on Land, Naval, and Homeland Security systems, DefExpo 2022 will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.
• Russia launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying an Iranian remote sensing satellite Khayyam, into orbit from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.
• Google has launched an online project called ‘India Ki Udaan’ to mark 75 years of Independence India Ki Udaan – Software at the Sunder Nursery in Delhi in the presence of Union Culture and Tourism Minister Shri G Kishan Reddy.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that the 106-year-old astronomical observatory at Langat Singh College in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district has not been inscribed on its list of endangered heritage.
• Former International athlete P. V. Kamaraj Passed away at the age of 68 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and renowned historian David McCullough Passed away at the age of 89 in Hingham, Massachusetts, United States.
• Former South African cricket umpire Rudi Koertzen passed away in a car crash at the age of 73.
• Former Member of Parliament and senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) politician K. Maya Thevar passed away at the age of 87 in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.