Latest Current Affairs For Tuesday 31st August, 2021

STATIC GK  based on Current Affairs

1. National Sports Day is observed every year on August 29 to promote awareness about the importance of sports and being physically active in daily life.

• August 29 is chosen as the National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand.
• On the occasion, Sports Minister has launched 'Fit India' app.
• Earlier, Govt renamed Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
• Major Dhyan Chand is widely known as Hockey Wizard.

➤ Important Days of August :

• World Breastfeeding Week - 1 - 7 August
• International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples - 9 August
• International Youth Day - 12 August
• World Elephant Day - 12 August
• Independence Day - 15 August
• World Humanitarian Day - 19 August
• World Mosquito Day - 20 August
• International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition - 23 August
• National Sports Day - 29 August

2. Pramod Kumar Meherda, a 1997-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, has been appointed as managing director in National Food Security Mission (NFSM).

• It comes under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• He will also serve the post of secretary, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB).
• Earlier, Meherda had served as Secretary to the Governor and as Health Secretary in the Government of Odisha.

➤Some Recent Appointments:

• President of the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) Society -  N K Singh
• Kamlesh Kumar Pant - Chairperson of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)
• Rajiv Gauba - Cabinet Secretary of India
• Director of the Zoological Survey of India - Dr. Dhriti Banerjee
• Director-General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) - Nasir Kamal
• Director General of All India Radio - N Venudhar Reddy
• Central Vigilance Commission - Suresh N Patel
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - T. V. Narendran
• National Human Rights Commission - Arun Kumar Mishra
• Intelligence Bureau(IB) - Arvind Kumar
• Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) - Samant Goel
• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - Subodh Kumar Jaiswal
• Chief Information Commissioner of India(CEC) - Sushil Chandra

3. Maharashtra govt has launched 'Mission Vatsalya' to help women who have lost their husbands due to COVID to provide a bunch of services under one roof.

• The new program has been designed for widows, especially from rural areas who come from poor backgrounds and deprived sections.
• Under this mission, schemes like Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Gharkul Yojana will benefit for women.

➤List of Government Schemes in India :

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana - August 28, 2014
• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana - April 8, 2015
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana - February 18, 2016
• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana - January 22, 2015
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana - September 10, 2020
• National Digital Health Mission - August 15, 2020

4. Navies of India and Germany carried out a joint exercise, which included helicopter landings and searches and seizure operations, in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen.

• The Indian Navy's frigate "Trikand" exercised with German frigate "Bayern".
• The exercise included cross deck helo (helicopter) landings and visit board search and seizure operations.
• INS Trikand is deployed in the Gulf of Aden region for anti-piracy patrol.

➤List of Naval Exercise of India:

• SLINEX - India & Sri Lanka
• KONKAN - India & United Kingdom
• VARUNA - India & France
• NASEEM-AL-BAHR - India & Oman
• SIMBEX - India & Singapore
• IND-INDO CORPAT - India & Indonesia
• Sahyog HOP TAC - India & Vietnam

➤About Indian Navy :

• The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces & their primary objective is to safeguard the nation's maritime borders.
• Founded - 1947
• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) - Admiral Karambir Singh
• Indian Navy Day is celebrated every year on December 4 to commemorate the attack on the Karachi harbour during the India-Pakistan war in 1971

5. Indian Oil plans to expand more into hydrogen technologies and develop India's first green hydrogen plant.

• This project at Mathura Refinery will be pioneering the introduction of green Hydrogen in India.
• This will be in addition to expanding existing crude oil refining capacity by 25 million tonnes/year and more biofuel production plants.
• IOC is also in the process of setting up 1-tonne/day capacity pilot plants based on 4 innovative hydrogen production technologies.

➤About Indian Oil Corporation:

• IndianOil is an Indian government corporation. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.
• Founded - 30 June 1959
• Headquarters - Mumbai
• Chairperson - Shrikant Madhav Vaidya

Current Affairs in One Minute

1-The Government launched various initiatives of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to make education more inclusive and prepare students for 21st century. 

2-The Government has launched a new geospatial planning portal, ‘Yuktdhara’, that will help in facilitating new MGNREGA assets using remote sensing and geographic information system-based data.

3-A Rs 39-crore memorial for late DMK president and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi will be constructed at the Marina on Kamarajar Salai in recognition of his efforts to create a "modern Tamil Nadu. 

4-Karnataka became the first State in the country to launch the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 officially. 

5-Markets regulator Sebi has empanelled as many as 16 entities -- including BDO India, Ernst & Young and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India -- for conducting forensic audits of financial statements of listed companies as part of efforts to curb frauds. 

6-Multi EV retail platform BLive and Bengaluru-based Ather Energy announced a strategic partnership to drive adoption of electric vehicles at tourist destinations in the country. 

7-The country's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow at around 18.5 percent with an upward bias in the first quarter of the current financial year, according to SBI research report Ecowrap. 

8-The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Medanta hospital to set up a COVID-19 care centre at the Delhi airport for its employees and their family members. 

9-Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) has joined hands with Canara Bank to offer retail finance schemes to customers. 

10-A year after banning fans entirely because of the coronavirus pandemic and lowering prize money due to lost revenue, the U.S. Tennis Association announced that it will be boosting total player compensation to a record $57.5 million, slightly more than the $57.2 million in 2019. 

11-The government launched the e-SHRAM portal to maintain a database of workers in the unorganised sector on August 26. 

12-Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated the OPD services in the new AYUSH building and a night shelter at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Deoghar in Jharkhand. 

13-Inching towards fulfilling a poll promise, the Assam government signed an agreement with microfinance companies for a Rs 12,000-crore loan waiver scheme, which will benefit several lakhs of women borrowers. 

14-State-owned Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) said it has signed a pact with NHPC Ltd to lend funds for the development of hydro projects. 

15-Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts will be included in the Nifty indices from September 30, according to new eligibility criteria announced by the NSE. 

16-Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed hydrogel-based electrodes which can enhance the performance of an energy storage device. 

17-Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi emerged victorious in the II Terras de Trás-os-Montes Chess Open while his compatriot D Gukesh finished second. 

18-Pakistan successfully test launched a indigenously developed guided multi-launch rocket system, Fatah-1, weapon system will give Pakistan Army the capability of precision target engagement deep in enemy territory. 

19-Taliban hostage drama 'And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead', directed by Swiss filmmaker Michael Steiner, will be the opening film at the 17th edition of the upcoming Zurich Film Festival (ZFF). 

20-Chad''s former dictator Hissene Habre, whose government was accused of killing tens of thousands and became the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity by an African court after spending decades in luxurious exile in Senegal, has died in a hospital in Senegal. He was 79. 

21-Former India footballer and Olympian O Chandrasekhar, who was part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the 1962 Asian Games, died. He was 85. 

22-V.S.K. Kaumudi, IPS, Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on 26th August 2021 at National Media Centre launched MANTHAN 2021. 

23-Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur and Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) G. Kishan Reddy address a mega-tourism event “Ladakh: New Start, New Goals” being organized in Leh from 26th -28th August 2021. 

24-As part of military diplomacy and to strengthen the growing strategic relation with Kazakhstan, the 5th edition of Indo- Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise, “KAZIND-21” will be conducted at Training Node, Aisha Bibi, Kazakhstan, from 30 August to 11 September 2021. 

25-Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the fourth edition of the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda ‘EASE 4.0’ for 2021-22 - tech-enabled, simplified, and collaborative banking. 

26-In a bid to provide relief to families of bank employees, the Government has approved the Indian Banks' Association’s (IBA) proposal to increase the family pension to 30% of last salary drawn. 

27-Keeping in view the interest of the sugarcane farmers, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane at Rs 290 per quintal, based on 10 per cent recovery, for the sugar season 2021-22 (October-September). 

28-The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs has approved the FDI proposal for an investment of upto 15 thousand crore rupees by Anchorage Infrastructure Investment Holding Limited. 

29-The Ministry of Jal Shakti began ‘SUJALAM’, a ‘100 days campaign’ as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations to create more and more ODF Plus villages by undertaking waste water management at village level particularly through creation of 1 million Soak-pits and also other Grey water management activities. 

30-The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will set up health club for girls in every state university, private university, government college, non-government aided college and self-funded college in the state. 

31-Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated four state highways having a total length of 130 km and constructed at a cost of over Rs 1,121 crore. 

Govt recognises NBF-PNBSA as self-regulatory body for news media

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has officially recognized NBF’s Professional News Broadcasters Standards Authority (‘PNBSA’) as a self-regulatory body of the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) for news media. 

NBF: Largest association of news broadcasters across India representing combined interests and perspectives on the crucial matters 

Arnab Goswami is the current president of the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF).

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances: 30 August

International Day of the Disappeared is observed every year on August 30 to draw attention towards increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances of individuals in various regions of the world, including arrest, detention, and abduction unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.

The day was adopted by UN General Assembly on 21 December 2010 and was first observed in 2011

Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted

RBI enhances incentive for coins distribution over the counter by banks

RBI has increased the incentives for the distribution of coins over the counter from Rs 25/bag to Rs 65/bag of coin with effect from September 1, 2021

RBI provides incentives to banks and currency chests under Currency Distribution & Exchange Scheme (CDES) for the distribution of coins over the counter to promote the circulation of coins.

An additional incentive of Rs. 10/- per bag would be paid for coin distribution in rural and semi-urban areas 

BRICS Agricultural Research Platform inaugurated in India

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh has announced the operationalization of the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform (BRICS- ARP) in India for strengthening the cooperation of BRICS member nations in the field of agricultural research & innovations.

Coordinating Centre of BRICS Agricultural Research Platform: NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi.

The platform will address the issues of world hunger, undernutrition, poverty and inequality

India’s first Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) toolkit launched

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), Rajeev Chandrasekhar has launched India’s first indigenously developed Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit.

It has been developed jointly by IISc (Indian Institute of Science) Bangalore, IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Roorkee and C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing).

It will enable learning and understanding the practical aspects of Quantum Computing in a cost-effective manner

High Jumper Nishad Kumar wins silver at Tokyo Paralympics

Nishad Kumar (23 years) from India has clinched silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at Tokyo Paralympics 2020

This is the second medal for India at 2020 Paralympics

He made a jump of 2.06m, and created an Asian record.

He also equaled his jump with USA’s Dallas Wise, who also took home silver.

He had won gold medal in men's high jump T46/47 event at Fazza World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2021 in Dubai

Roderick Townsend of USA has won gold, with a jump of 2.15m.

Govt introduces ‘Bharat series (BH-series)’ registration mark

MoRTH has introduced new registration mark for new vehicles titled ‘Bharat series (BH-series)’.

Vehicles with BH-series mark need not to acquire new registration mark when the owner of the vehicle shifts from one State to another.

Beneficiary: Defense personnel, employees of Central Govt/ State Govt/ Central/ State PSU and private sectors, which have their offices in four or more States/Union territories.

Format of BH-series: YY BH #### XX (10 alphanumeric)

RBI enhances limit under Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility to Rs 2 lakh

RBI has increased the limit of fund transfer under Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility Scheme from Rs 50,000 per transaction to Rs 2 lakh per transaction with effect from October 1, 2021

Earlier, there was a ceiling limit of 12 transactions in a year. Now, this limit has also been removed.

However, for cash-based transfers under Indo-Nepal Remittance Facility, the per transaction limit of Rs 50,000 will still be present with 12 maximum number of transfers in a year

Vinod Kumar clinches bronze in discus throw at Tokyo Paralympics

India’s Vinod Kumar has clinched bronze medal in the men's F52 discus throw event with an Asian record to give India its third medal in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

He has produced best throw of 19.91m to finish third behind Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) of Poland and Velimir Sandor (19.98m) of Croatia.

He injured his legs while training after joining the BSF, falling off a cliff in Leh that left him bed-ridden for close to a decade.

Max Verstappen wins rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix 2021

Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) has been declared as the winner of Belgian Grand Prix 2021.

Belgian Grand Prix was stopped due to rain and only two laps were completed.

The winner of the Grand Prix was decided on the progress made in two laps.

George Russell came second, followed by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

It is the first F1 race to run to half points since the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.

World’s highest altitude movie theatre launched in Ladakh

World’s highest movie theatre has been inaugurated in Ladakh at an altitude of 11,562 feet.

It is the first ever mobile digital movie theatre in Paldan area of Leh

The inflatable theatre can operate in -28 degree Celcius.

Aim: To bring cinema watching experience to most remotest areas of India.

Four such theatres will be established in Leh in the coming period.

Akshay Kumar's film Bell Bottom was showcased in this movie theatre

It was installed by PictureTime Digiplex

SP Sethuraman wins 2021 Barcelona Open Chess Tournament

Indian Grandmaster S P Sethuraman has won the 2021 Barcelona Open chess tournament title, remaining unbeaten through the nine rounds, winning six matches and drawing three.

He collected 7.5 points after ninth and final round to tie the score with Daniil Yuffa of Russia.

However, he emerged as the winner on the basis of a better tie-break score.

India’s Karthikeyan Murali finished third.

S P Sethuraman won Asian Chess Championship in Tashkent in 2016.

Bhavina Patel becomes 1st Indian paddler to win silver at Tokyo Paralympics

Indian paddler Bhavinaben Patel (34 years) has claimed historic silver medal at 2020 Paralymic Games at Tokyo in the women’s singles table tennis summit clash.

She lost to Chinese paddler Ying Zhou by 0-3, in her maiden Paralymic Games.

This is the first medal for India at the ongoing Tokyo Paralymic Games.

She is also the only second Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, after Deepa Malik, who claimed silver in shotput at 2016 Rio Olympics.

PM Narendra Modi to be awarded prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award 2023

The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) would confer the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2023 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Pune on August 1, 2023.

Reason: This award recognizes PM Modi's supreme leadership under which India has climbed the ladder of progress

It is presented annually on the occasion of Lokmanya Tilak's death anniversary.

Other awardees: Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sharad Pawar, Cyrus Poonawalla, and Manmohan Singh. 

J&K Bank wins award for Best Performance in CASA

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has been felicitated for the Best Performance in CASA-India (1st Runner up in Small Bank Category) at ICC Emerging Asia Banking Conclave & Awards 2022.

The event was participated by banks from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Myanmar.

The function was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Goa.

Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group headquartered in Calcutta.

India poised to become world’s 2nd-largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs

According to the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075.

As per the report, India would cross Japan, Germany, and the US With a population of 1.4 billion people.

India’s GDP is estimated to expand remarkably, reaching 52.5 trillion dollars surpassing the US GDP projection.

The labour force participation set to make India the second-largest economy in the world by 2075.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy. 

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.