Latest Current Affairs For Saturday 20th August, 2022

Author of Kocharethi, Narayan passed away

Kerala’s first tribal novelist and short story writer, Narayan has been passed away at the age of 82 in Kochi due to age-related ailments and had tested Covid positive.

He was born in the Malayaraya community in Kadayathur hills in Thodupuzha taluk in 1940.

His debut novel, 'Kocharethi' published in 1998, was selected for the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 1999.

The novel has been translated to English, Hindi and south Indian languages.

Ratan Tata invests Goodfellows, senior companionship startup

Ratan Tata has invested in Goodfellows, a senior companionship startup that provides companionship services to senior citizens.

The startup is designed to pair senior citizens with young graduates to form meaningful friendships.

The company offers a freemium subscription model in which the first month is free only to understand the concept without actually going through it.

The second month onward, the user has to pay a small subscription fee.

India's IT Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma appointed to UN internet panel

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Electronics and Information Technology Secretary of India, Alkesh Kumar Sharma to a panel of 10 eminent experts on internet governance.

The panel includes: Vint Cerf, Hatem Dowidar, Lise Fuhr, Maria Fernanda Garza, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Maria Ressa, Karoline Edtstadler, Gbenga Sesan, Lan Xue.

Agenda: To deal with strategic and urgent issues of the Internet and provide solution. 

World Photography Day 2022: 19 August

World Photography Day is observed on August 19 every year to celebrate the beautiful art of photography.

Theme 2022: Pandemic Lockdown through the lens

This day was originated after the invention of the 'daguerreotype'.

Daguerreotype is a photographic process that was developed in 1837 by Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce.

On August 19, 1839, the French government has announced about the invention of the daguerreotype.

Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik scheme completed 5 years successfully

Ministry of Civil Aviation flagship program Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (UdeDeshkaAamNagrik) has completed 5 years of success.

Aim: An enhanced aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in tier II and tier III cities.

In 2014, there were 74 operational airports, but after the launch of the UDAN scheme this number has been increased to 141 by now.

Under the scheme, more than 1 crore passengers have been benefited till August 4, 2022.

India’s first electric double-decker bus unveiled in Mumbai

Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari has unveiled Switch EiV 22, India’s first electric double-decker air-conditioned bus, in Mumbai.

The electric bus was designed, developed and manufactured in India by Switch Mobility, Ashok Leyland’s electric vehicle arm.

The double decker has a lightweight aluminium body construction that provides higher passenger-to-weight ratio and a competitive cost per km, per passenger.

Minister of Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala launches 'Aqua Bazar' app

The National Fisheries Development Board (NPFB) has conducted the 9th governing body meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Minister of Fisheries, Parshottam Rupala.

During the event, he has also launched an online marketplace feature - 'Aqua Bazar' app.

The app will help the fish farmers and stakeholders to source the inputs such as fish seed, feed and medicines required for fish culture.

He has released a book on Super Success Stories from Indian Fisheries.

Vietnam-India bilateral army exercise Vinbax 2022 concluded at Chandimandir

The 3rd Edition of Ex VINBAX 2022 Bilateral Army Exercise between India and Vietnam has been concluded at Chandimandir, Haryana.

Theme of Ex VINBAX – 2022: Employment and deployment of an Engineer Company and a Medical Team under United Nations Contingent for Peacekeeping Operations.

Focus: Strengthening mutual confidence and interoperability.

The next edition of VINBAX will be hosted in Vietnam in 2023. 

HDFC Bank launched ‘Vigil Aunty’ Campaign

HDFC Bank has launched latest campaign 'Vigil Aunty’ with an aim to promote safe banking habits among people.

Anuradha Menon who plays the popular character of ‘Lola Kutty’ on television, will be the face of the ‘Vigil Aunty’ campaign.

This campaign will run with the Bank’s popular ‘Mooh Band Rakho’ campaign, that urges people not to share their confidential banking information with others.

The Vigil Aunty campaign will run for 4-6 weeks.

HDFC Bank CEO: Sashidhar Jagdishan

Anuj Poddar appointed as MD, CEO of Bajaj Electricals

Bajaj Electricals has elevated its Executive Director Anuj Poddar to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The company has separated the post of Chairman & Managing Director to marks the company's commitment to strong corporate governance standards.

Shekhar Bajaj will continue as Executive Chairman of the company.

Bajaj Electricals had a turnover of Rs 4,813 crore in FY22.

Bajaj group founder: Jamnalal Bajaj;

Founded: 1926; 

HQ: Pune, Maharashtra.

India, China participate in Vostok-2022 held in Russia

Indian army and Chinese Army will attend the Vostok 2022 military exercises that will held in Russia from August 30 to September 5.

Other participants: Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikstan.

The strategic command and staff exercise will be held under the chief of Russia's General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, at 13 training grounds of the Eastern Military District.

In 2021, India had attended ZAPAD 2021 drills in Russia in which 17 countries including China and Pakistan.

PM Modi addressed `Har Ghar Jal Utsav’ in Goa virtually

PM Narendra Modi has virtually addressed the Har Ghar Jal Utsav, that was organized in Goa under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

The event will be attended by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Goa CM, Pramod Sawant.

During the event, the QR code payment system for water bills was also launched.

Goa is the first State, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is the first UT in the country, to achieve 100% Har Ghar Jal certification.

FIBA U-18 women Asian Basketball championship to be held in Bengaluru

Dr. Narayanagowda (Karnataka Sports and Youth Empowerment minister) has announced that Bengaluru will host FIBA U-18 women Asian Basketball championship from September 5th to 11th.

The international event will be organised in the Sree Kanteerava Indoor stadium and Koramangala Indoor stadiums.

Division A team will compete with Division B team in the championship to qualify for the FIBA World Championship to be held in July 2023 in Spain.

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.