Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I August 2019 · • over a flooded bridge after incessant rainfall...

Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I

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Table of Contents Awards &Honours ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Days & Events ................................................................................................................................................... 6

International Affairs .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Personalities in News ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Government Policies & Schemes ..................................................................................................................... 13

Science & Technology ..................................................................................................................................... 15

Committees & Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 18

Business & Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 18

Sports.............................................................................................................................................................. 23

Defence........................................................................................................................................................... 29

Polity ............................................................................................................................................................... 31

National Affairs ............................................................................................................................................... 32


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Awards &Honours DAY-NULM conferred SKOCH Governance Gold Award

• Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), a flagship mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award.

• It was awarded for its Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA).

• PAiSA is a centralized IT platform which was launched in November 2018.

PM Modi presented Yoga Awards

• PM Narendra Modi presented Yoga Awards to the winners for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga in New Delhi on 30 August 2019.

• He also released 12 commemorative postal stamps to honour eminent scholars, practitioners and Great Master Healers of AYUSH Systems.

• Japan Yoga Niketan and Bihar School of Yoga were awarded in the institutional category.

ONGC CMD honoured with Distinguished F'ship

• ONGC CMD Shashi Shanker was honoured with the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors (IOD) 2019.

• He was honoured during the 29th Institute of Directors (IOD) Annual Day Ceremony for his distinguished contribution to business and society.

• The theme of this year’s IOD Annual Day Ceremony was ‘Future Boards: Leading Strategy to Embrace Sustainability’.

‘I’m Jeeja’ won award at We Care Film Festival

• Indian documentary film I’m Jeeja won the award at the 14th edition of the ‘We Care Film Festival on Disability Issues’.

• It won the award in the ‘Under 30 minute’ category. • The documentary directed by Swati Chakraborty attempts

to explore the lives and battles of people living with the disability.

• Another Indian film 'Post Dark' received a jury mention in ‘Under 5 minutes’ category.

Tenzing Norgay National Award 2018 Announced

• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are given every year to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of adventure.

• The award is given in 4 categories namely, Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Life Time Achievement.

• The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India along with other Sports Awardees at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29 August, 2019.

Prabhakar Singh chosen for Engineer Award

• Prabhakar Singh, DG, CPWD has been chosen for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’ by the Institution of Engineers (India).

• He will be awarded for his distinguished and exemplary Service in the field of Engineering and Technology.

• This Elite and Prestigious Award shall be conferred to him on the ‘Engineers Day’ on September 15, 2019, in New Delhi.

Vivek Menon wins Clark Bavin Award

• Conservationist Vivek Menon, head of Delhi-based conservation non-profit, Wildlife Trust of India was awarded the prestigious Clark R Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award for the year 2019 on 20 August 2019 in Geneva.

• He was presented the award by Ivonne Higuero, the secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Smart Policing Awards presented

• Haryana Police received two Smart Policing awards-2019 instituted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in a function held in New Delhi on 23 August 2019.

• Haryana Police was awarded for best practices under ‘Apki Sangini’ in the category of community policing.

• 35 Smart Policing awards were given to the officers for working in the areas of child safety, etc.

POSHAN Abhiyaan Awards conferred

• Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani gave away the Poshan Abhiyaan Awards for the year 2018-19 in different categories on 23 August 2019.

• The awards were given to the States, Districts, Blocks and Anganwadi Workers for their contributions in scaling up the Abhiyaan and ensuring that it reaches every household in the country.

PM Modi to be honoured with the order of Zayed

• Prime Minister Modi arrived in UAE on 23 August 2019 in the second leg of his tour.

• This is the third visit of PM Modi to UAE in four years. • During the two day visit, the Prime Minister will be

honoured with the highest national award of UAE - the order of Zayed.

• The Highest National Award to PM Modi is a mark of special relationship between India and UAE.

Meeta Narain conferred the Pushkin Medal 2019

• JNU Professor Meeta Narain was conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’.

• This award is the highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian government.


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• Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language and literature for outstanding contribution to Russian studies abroad.

• She was awarded the medal at an event organised at the Russian Center for Science and Culture.

Winners- National Sports Awards 2019

• Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik won Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for wrestling and para athletics respectively.

• 6 Dronacharya awards were presented to coaches including Vimal Kumar and Sandeep Gupta.

• 19 awardee were presented Arjuna Awards including Ravindra Jadeja and Anjum Moudgil.

• Dhyanchand Awards were conferred upon 5 including Manuel Fredricks and Manoj Kumar.

National Sports Awards 2019

• Selection Committee for the Sports Awards 2019 has announced the National Sports Awards 2019.

• National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.

• The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

• Selection Committee was headed by Justice Mukundakam Sharma.

IIT-Delhi won start-up award

• An IIT-Delhi-incubated start-up working on the design and development of inclusive learning resources for visually impaired people won the award for developing a multisensory kit.

• The device narrates the content in the picture when a visually impaired person touches it.

• Ankita Gulati, founder of TouchVision was awarded the NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Award 2019.

100 Years of Chrysostum

• A function was held to celebrate the Guinness Book of World Records entry of 100 Years of Chrysostum.

• It is a biographical documentary on Metropolitan Emeritus of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, Philipose Mar Chrysostum.

• The documentary has found an entry in the Guinness Book as the longest documentary film.

• It was scripted and directed by filmmaker Blessy.

Rajdeep Sardesai bags Prem Bhatia Award

• Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has been awarded the 2019 Prem Bhatia Award for Outstanding Political Reporting.

• The annual award was established in the memory of veteran journalist Prem Bhatia, who was well known for his political reporting.

• The 2019 award for environmental reporting went to Down to Earth's Ishan Kukreti and independent journalist Sharada Balasubramanian.

12-year-old Karnataka boy awarded

• A 12-year-old boy in Karnataka has been awarded for bravery for guiding an ambulance, which was deeply stuck over a flooded bridge after incessant rainfall in the area.

• Venkatesh was awarded by the Raichur District Collector for helping the driver take his ambulance out of the flooded bridge safely.

• Karnataka CM - B. S. Yediyurappa. • Karnataka Governor - Vajubhai Vala

Short film by Indian Railways won award

• A short-film –'Madhubani- The Station of Colours', bagged the ‘Rajat-Kamal’ award at the 66th National Film Awards for 2018.

• It narrates the beautification of a remote railway station belonging to the East Central Railway (ECR).

• The Madhubani railway station located in a remote part of Madhubani district of Bihar was earlier ranked as the country’s second most dirty railway station.

ISRO chairman conferred APJ Abdul Kalam Award

• Chairman of ISRO K. Sivan was awarded Tamil Nadu government’s Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award on 15 August 2019.

• Under his leadership, the organisation launched its Chandrayaan-2 mission.

• Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami handed over the State government’s Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Ramyalakshmi, Assistant Director of Fisheries posted in Cuddalore.

President awarded scholars

• The President awarded the Certificate of Honour to the scholars of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Malayalam and Classical Odiya for 2019.

• The distinction is conferred once a year on the Independence Day in recognition of substantial contribution in field of these languages.

• The Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman was also announced.

Gallantry awards conferred

• President Ram Nath Kovind approved 132 Awards to Armed Forces Personnel and members of Paramilitary Forces.

• The awards include two Kirti Chakras, one Vir Chakra, 14 Shaurya Chakras, eight Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 90 Sena Medals (Gallantry), five Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), seven Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry) and five Yudh Seva Medals.


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• The Army has been awarded 8Shaurya Chakra awards.

Medal of excellence to 96 police personnel

• 96 police personnel, including 15 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers, have been awarded the Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation for 2019.

• 11 are from Maharashtra Police, 10 are from UP Police, 9 are from Kerala Police, 8 are from Madhya Pradesh Police, 6 are from Delhi Police and Karnataka Police.

• The recipients also include 13 women officers.

Wg Cdr Abhinandan honoured with Vir Chakra

• Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been conferred the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest war time gallantry medal.

• The defence ministry announced the military awards on the eve of Independence Day celebrations.

• From the Army, Sapper Prakash Jadhav of the Rashtriya Rifles will be posthumously awarded Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry award.

National Youth Awards conferred

• The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju conferred the National Youth Awards on 12 August 2019.

• They were conferred upon individuals and organizations for excellent work and contribution in different fields of development and social service.

• During the National Youth Awards Function he also inaugurated a Photo Exhibition on China through Eyes of Indian Youth - 2019.

French envoy confers Indian chef

• French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler conferred Indian chef Priyam Chatterjee with the distinction of Chevalier de I'Ordre du Merite Agricole, also known as the Order of Agricultural Merit on August 12, 2019.

• He is the first Indian chef to be conferred this honour. • He is known to honour French cuisine by revisiting the

traditional dishes of his native place.

Gujarati Film Hellaro won Best Feature Film

• Gujarati Film Hellaro wins the best feature film at the 66th National Films Awards.

• Keerthy Suresh wins the best Actress award • Sanjay Leela Bhansali won Best Music Direction (Songs)

award for Padmaavat. • Uttarakhand won the National Award for most film

friendly state. • ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger' won the Best

Environment Film award. • Andhadhun won Best Hindi Film award.

66th National Film Awards for 2018 announced

• The 66th National Film Awards were announced on 9 August 2019.

• Ayushman Khurana and Vicky Kaushal jointly won Best Actor Award for their performances in ‘Andhadhun’ and ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. ‘

• 'Badhai Ho’ bagged the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

• Hindi movie ‘Padman’ was declared Best Film on Social Issues.

MS Swamianathan award to Kenneth M Quinn

• The Rotary Club of Madras East conferred the MS Swamianathan Award for Environment Protection upon Kenneth M Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation.

• The award was presented for his contribution to global food security and sustainability.

• Quinn is globally renowned for his works on Food & Agriculture with a particular focus on the supply of nutritious food.

Awards and Honours

• The NITI Aayog launched the 4th Edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards on 9 August 2019. The theme for 2019 is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’.

• The 4th edition of the National Entrepreneurship Awards, instituted to recognize and encourage outstanding Indian Entrepreneurs by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been announced.

ISRO announced Vikram Sarabhai Award

• ISRO has announced its Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award in Space Science, Technology and Research.

• It recognizes and rewards journalists who have actively contributed towards the field of space science, applications, and research.

• The articles published from 2019 to 2020 will be considered.

• The nominations are open to all Indians who have a good experience in journalism.

Pranab Mukherjee honoured with Bharat Ratna

• Former President Pranab Mukherjee, was honoured with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna.

• He served as India's 13th President from 2012-2017, prior to this he also served as the Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012.

• The other Presidents, who had been conferred the Bharat Ratna include Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Rajendra Prasad, Zakir Hussain and V.V. Giri.

PMAY(U) Awards for Beneficiaries instituted

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has instituted PMAY(U) Awards for Beneficiaries for the first time to


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recognise the contribution of States/UTs, Urban Local Bodies and Beneficiaries.

• This award is in addition to CLSS Award for recognising the contribution of PMAY (U) Banks and Housing Finance Companies.

• The winners will be awarded during a National level Event.

States & Districts felicitated under BBBP

• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development felicitated those Districts and States who have successfully implemented the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)scheme in the country.

• The function was held on 7th August, 2019 in New Delhi. • The BBBP scheme launched on 22 January 2015 has been

implemented in phases. • Currently, it is being implemented in 640 districts (as per

census 2011).

Priya receives 'Indian Woman influence award'

• Eminent fashionista, social entrepreneur and philanthropist Priya Priyadarshini Jain has been felicitated with the prestigious 'Indian Woman of Influence' award at the House of Lords, the United Kingdom Parliament, London.

• The award recognised the power of Indian women residing in different parts of the world.

• This award assures that women are the leaders in their respective fields.

Order of Merit given to Indian President

• President Ram Nath Kovind has been awarded the National order of Merit by the President of Guinea.

• He was awarded for his exceptional contribution to the advancement of overall relations and development of mutual cooperation between India and Guinea.

• This is the highest award of Republic of Guinea. • Three MoUs were also signed between the two countries.

Ravish Kumar won Ramon Magsaysay award 2019

• Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has been awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless.

• The award was started in 1957 and celebrates the leadership example of the former Philippine President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay.

• The awardees are presented with a medallion with a right side facing profile image of Ramon Magsaysay and a certificate.

Days & Events Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

• UN observes 30 August every year as International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

• The day is observed to prevent enforced disappearances and bring to justice those responsible, as enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society.

• 2011 marked the inaugural commemoration of this day.

International Day Against Nuclear Tests

• UN observes International Day Against Nuclear Tests on 29 August every year.

• It is observed to increase awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

• 2010 marked the inaugural commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests.

National Sports Day: 29 August

• National Sports Day 2019 is being celebrated on 29 August across India.

• It marks the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, who was born on August 29 in the year 1905.

• The day is observed every year to spread awareness about the importance of sports and games in the life of every individual.

• 29 August was proclaimed as the country’s National Sports Day in 2012.

Int. Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade

https://bit.ly/2mdJPmF


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• United Nations observes 23 August every year as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

• The Day is observed to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.

• The day was designated by UNESCO to memorialize the transatlantic slave trade.

• Headquarters of United Nations: New York, USA • Founded: 24 October 1945.

Int. Day Commemorating the Victims of Violence

• United Nations observes 22 August every year as International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

• The day is observed to strongly condemn continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals, including persons belonging to religious minorities, on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief.

International Day of Remembrance: 21 August

• United Nations observes 21 August every year as International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

• This year, the 2nd commemoration of the day focused on the resilience of victims and their families.

• A photographic exhibition was launched on August 21, 2019, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to observe the day.

World Humanitarian Day: 19 August

• World Humanitarian Day is observed across the world on August 19 to pay tribute to workers who risk their lives in humanitarian services and to gather support for people affected by crises around the world.

• The day was designated by the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 19 August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.

• WHD 2019 campaign: #WomenHumanitarians.

International Youth Day: 12 August

• The International Youth Day 2019 is observed across the world on 12 August.

• The theme for 2019 is Transforming education. • International Youth Day 2019 will examine how

Governments, young people and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education so that it becomes a powerful tool to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

World Biofuel Day: 10 August

• World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th of August.

• It is observed to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil

fuels and highlight the various efforts made by Government in the biofuel sector.

• The theme of the World Biofuel Day 2019 is Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO).

Int Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

• United Nations observes 9th August every year as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

• The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups.

• This year’s observance is dedicated to Indigenous Peoples’ Languages in view of 2019 being marked as the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

• The theme for the year 2019 is Indigenous Languages.

5th National Handloom Day: 7 August

• The 5th National Handloom Day was celebrated on 7 August across the country.

• The day is observed annually to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight India’s handloom industry.

• The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated on 7th August 2015 by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, at the centenary of Madras University in Chennai.

World Breastfeeding Week- 1 to 7 August

• The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is being observed from 1st to 7th August 2019.

• The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organizing a number of activities on the theme 'Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding'.

• The focus this year is on protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.

International Affairs Trump to launch Space Command

• US President Donald Trump announced that it is to launch the space Command to defend America's interests in the next war-fighting domain.

• The US is to unveil the new Space Command called SPACECOM.

• It will be the US's 6th branch of the military, U.S. Space Force, for space defense.

• SPACECOM is expected to defend America's vital interests in space in the next warfighting domain.

Peru proposes emergency Amazon summit

• Peru and Colombia have proposed an emergency Amazon summit for countries in the region on September 6, 2019 in Colombia to protect the vast rainforest.

• The Summit's aim is to establish a pact to conserve, develop and sustainably use the Amazon rainforest while also benefitting the communities that live there.


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• No mention, however, was made of which other countries would be invited.

Serbia becomes 73rd country to join AIIB

• Serbia officially became the 73rd non-regional member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

• The membership allows the country access to favourable loans for priority projects.

• The AIIB started operations in 2016, and besides Serbia, non-regional members included Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other.

Abdalla Hamdok appointed as PM of Sudan

• Sudan has appointed a new prime minister as the country embarks on a three-year transition to civilian rule.

• His appointment comes as Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan was sworn in as leader of the new Sovereign Council.

• The new Sovereign Council replaces the Transitional Military Council (TMC) that took charge after the Islamist ruler was toppled after mass protests.

Iran unveiled new missile defence system

• Iran has unveiled new missile defence system Bavar-373. • This is also Iran’s first domestically produced long-range

missile defence system which has been inducted into the country’s missile defence network.

• The system was unveiled at an occasion of Iran’s National Defense Industry Day.

• With a range of more than 200km, the long-range missile system is suited to the country's geography.

Pakistan blacklisted by Asia-Pacific Group

• The Asia-Pacific Group of the global watchdog for terror financing and money laundering has put Pakistan in the Enhanced Expedited Follow Up List for its failure to meet its standards.

• Pakistan was non-compliant on 32 of the 40 compliance parameters of terror financing and money laundering.

• On 11 parameters of terror financing and money laundering, Pakistan was adjudged as low on 10.

Okjokull glacier commemorated with plaque

• In Iceland, people gathered to commemorate the loss of the glacier Okjokull, which was officially declared dead in 2014 at the age of 700.

• The glacier was officially declared dead by the Icelandic Meteorological Office when it was no longer thick enough to move.

• What once was glacier has been reduced to a small patch of ice.

• The people will lay a plaque which carries a letter to the future.

World’s first negative interest rate mortgage

• Denmark’s third-largest, Jyske Bank, launched the world’s first negative interest rate mortgage – handing out loans to homeowners where the charge is minus 0.5% a year.

• Negative interest rates effectively mean that a bank pays a borrower to take money off their hands, so they pay back less than they have been loaned.

• Anders Dam is the CEO of Jyske Bank.

China launches rocket for commercial use-CCTV

• A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on 17 August 2019 its first rocket meant for commercial use.

• Smart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

• China envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments.

Iran unveils 3 new precision-guided missiles

• Iran unveiled three precision-guided missiles on 6 August 2019.

• The new line-up of air-to-air missiles are named as the 'Yasin', 'Balaban' and 'Ghaem' and was developed jointly by the ministry and Sa Iran, also known as Iran Electronics Industries.

• The Yasin is a guided-missile with folding wings that can be fired from a range of 50 kilometres of its target from manned or unmanned aircraft.

PNG has most number of languages

• The Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the highest number of 'living' indigenous languages in the world (840), while India stands fourth with 453.

• 2019 is the United Nations' International Year of Indigenous Languages.

• Ethnologue, a directory of languages, lists 7,111 living languages worldwide.

• Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic are the widely spoken languages.

US designated China as currency manipulator

• The US has designated China a currency manipulator. • China is intent on continuing to receive the hundreds of

Billions of Dollars they have been taking from the US with unfair trade practices and currency manipulation.

• China has a long history of facilitating an undervalued currency through protracted, large-scale intervention in the foreign exchange market.

Aman announced new destination

• Aman announced its forthcoming debut in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023.

• Following a partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Aman will develop three distinct resorts of


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architectural excellence in North West Saudi Arabia, in AlUla, a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.

• The 3 resorts will offer an incomparable insight into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

French inventor crossed English Channel

• French inventor Franky Zapata is 1st person in history to cross the English Channel on Flyboard Air, a jet-powered hoverboard.

• Zapata completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water.

• Zapata made the 35-kilometre (21.5 miles) crossing from the French seaside town of Sangatte to St. Margaret’s Bay in Dover, England.

Israel 'Successfully Tests' Arrow 3 Missile

• Israel successfully conducted a series of tests of the Arrow 3 missile defense system in Alaska, in cooperation with the American Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

• This is the first time the Arrow 3 system managed to intercept a real missile, one that simulated a ballistic missile.

• The Arrow 3 is meant to intercept ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere.

Nigeria to join coalition to save pollinators

• Nigeria became the fourth African country to join the Global Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators on 25 July 2019.

• Ethiopia was the first African nation to join the coalition in 2017.

• The organisation was formed to follow up on the findings of IPBES Assessment on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production, which found that many of the world’s pollinator species are on the decline.

Netherlands banned face-covering clothing

• The Netherlands banned face-covering clothing, such as a burqa or niqab, in public buildings and on transport as a contentious law on the garment came into force.

• Between 100 and 400 women are estimated to wear a burqa or niqab in the European country of 17 million people.

• The legislation also applies to other face coverings such as full-face helmets, balaclavas or ski mask.

52nd ASEAN summit held

• Foreign Ministers from South East Asia are attending the 52nd ASEAN summit in Bangkok.

• ASEAN also plays host to a series of foreign ministers from key strategic and dialogue partners, including US, China and Russia.

• ASEAN leaders at their summit meeting in June adopted an Indo-Pacific engagement framework that sought to keep on the good side of both Washington and Beijing.

Books & Authors Book on Flipkart to release in October

• Big Billion Startup, a book on Flipkart will be (Pan Macmillan India), releasing in October 2019.

• It is the riveting and revealing account of how the Bansals built and sold India's largest internet company.

• Established in October 2007, Flipkart began as an online bookstore and soon came to be known for its ‘customer obsession'.

• Founders: Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal

Books and Authors

• The Story of Babri Masjid (Babri Masjid ki Kahani), a pictorial history book in English, Hindi and Urdu was released in New Delhi on 20 August 2019. Advocate A. Mohammad Yusuf released the book on Babri Masjid.

• At the same event, two other relevant books Warriors of Malabar: Muslim Religious Scholars (English) and Badr: Lessons of the Battle (English) were also released.

'Second Night' Novel launched

• Former diplomat Rajiv Dogra's third novel 'Second Night' was launched on 16 August 2019.

• He has penned two books on Indo-Pak relations and the Durand Line.

• He was India's Ambassador to Italy and Romania. • 'Second Night', published by Rupa, is about a woman

determined to escape and a man who has vowed to find her.

• It is a story of friendship, love and loss.

Penguin announced book on Sridevi

• On cinema legend Sridevi's 56th birth anniversary, Penguin Random House India have announced a book on the life of the actor.

• The book, titled 'Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar', is written by author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak and approved by the actor's producer husband Boney Kapoor.

• The book will be published under the Ebury Press imprint of Penguin Random House in October 2019.

Amit Shah launched book based on Vice President

• Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah launched the book ‘Listening, Learning and Leading’ in Chennai on 11 August 2019.

• This book is based on Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu’s 2 years in office.

• The book captures glimpses of his 330 public engagements across the country during this period.


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• It gives a glimpse of his life after assuming the office of the Vice President.

Personalities in News Harish Chandra: Acting CJ of Jharkhand HC

• The Government has notified the appointment of Justice Harish Chandra Mishra as the Acting Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.

• The appointment was made in view of the demise of Acting Chief Justice Prashant Kumar.

• Justice Mishra commenced his practice at the Patna High Court, dealing with both civil and criminal matters.

• Justice Prashant Kumar passed away on 30 August 2019.

Amrita Pritam honoured by Google Doodle

• Google doodle honoured Punjabi poetess Amrita Pritam with a doodle, marking her 100th birthday.

• A renowned poetess, Amrita was born on 31 August 1919 in Gujranwala, Punjab of British India, which now fall in Pakistan.

• Amrita is considered a path-breaking woman, who rose to fame with her literary works like Pinjar, Suneray and Nagmani.

Person in news

• Rating agency Moody’s Indian arm ICRA terminated its Managing Director (MD) and Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Naresh Takkar’s employment.

• Veteran actor Nimu Bhowmik who essayed major character roles in Bengali classics such as 'Ganadebata', 'Baghini' and 'Dadar Kirti' passed away in August 2019. His last film, 'Dash Mash Das Diner Galpo', was released last month.

Person in news

• Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner from Sri Lanka, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He played 19 Tests, 87 ODIs and 39 T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 70 Test wickets, 152 ODI wickets and 66 T20I wickets.

• Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Pramod Agarwal as the next chairman of Coal India. He will take over after the present chairman A K Jha.

Person in News

• Former human rights lawyer Lionel Aingimea won the presidential election of the pacific nation Nauru by defeating his rival David Adeang by 12-6 votes. He is now the 15th President of Nauru succeeding the outgoing President Baron Waqa.

• The tenure of CBDT Chairman P C Mody has been extended by an year. Mody, took over as the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT) chief in February 2019.

Person in News

• West Indies pacer Cecil Wright announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at old age of 85. He claims to have played over two million games taking over 7,000 wickets in professional cricket.

• Former Manchester United forward player Eric Cantona will be honoured with the 2019 UEFA President’s Award. The award recognises outstanding achievements and professional excellence of the player.

Person in News

• Mobil India has announced its association with wrestling champion Bajrang Punia as the new brand ambassador for its commercial vehicle lubricants’ segment.

• Veteran batsman-wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was named captain of the Tamil Nadu team for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. This was announced by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's (TNCA) State Senior Selection Committee.

Person in News

• Ferdinand Piech, Volkswagen AG's former chairman and chief executive passed away in August 2019. During his nine-year tenure Piech turned a loss equivalent of 1 billion euros into a 2.6 billion euro profit.

• Noida-based digital payments company Paytm has appointed ex-Goldman Sachs executive Amit Nayyar as a president of the company, in a bid to strengthen its leadership team.

PV Sindhu created history at WBC

• P V Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championships gold on 25 August 2019.

• She beat Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the final. • It was Sindhu’s fifth World Championships medal. • Sindhu has also won an Olympic silver in 2016 Rio Games,

a silver at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, an Asian Games silver at Jakarta and the BWF World Tour Finals in 2019.

Person in News

• Suparna Singh, interim CEO of NDTV has resigned with immediate effect. She became interim CEO of NDTV in 2017 with a approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

• One of the political luminaries of the country Professor Muzaffar Ahmed passed away in August 2019. He was the president of Bangladesh National Awami Party (Pro-Moscow NAP) for over five decades.

Akshay Kumar: World's 4th highest paid actor

• Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to the fourth position on the Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-Paid Actors Of 2019 list.

• Akshay has raked in $65 million.


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• Hollywood star Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson tops the Forbes list of the 10 highest-paid actors collecting $89.4 million between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.

• Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. are at 2nd and 3rd respectively.

P. Chidambaram arrested in corruption case

• CBI arrested India's former finance minister, P. Chidambaram, on suspicion of involvement in corruption and money laundering.

• This came a day after the Delhi High Court rejected his application to seek exemption from arrest.

• The CBI and Enforcement Directorate have alleged that Chidambaram was involved in money laundering and conspired around the approval of a telecommunications deal in 2006

Person in News

• The Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed former South African Coach Russel Domingo as the Head Coach for the national cricket team. Russel Domingo has served as the Head Coach for South Africa’s T20 side in 2012.

• Doordarshan Anchor and Nari Shakti Award Winner Neelum Sharma passed away in August 2019. She was known for her programmes like ‘Tejaswini’ and ‘Badi Charcha’.

Virat Kohli: 1st batsman to score 20,000 runs

• Indian captain Virat Kohli has become the first batsman to score 20,000 international runs in a single decade.

• Kohli has aggregated 20,502 runs across three formats out of which he has scored 20,018 in the ongoing decade.

• Kohli made his Test and T20 Internationals debut in 2010. • He had already scored 484 runs in ODI cricket after making

his debut in 2008.

Wesley Sneijder announced retirement

• The Netherlands' player Wesley Sneijder announced his retirement from football, bringing down the curtain on a trophy-laden career that spanned 17 years.

• He played 134 times for his country. • His displays earned him the Silver Ball for the

tournament's second best player behind Uruguay's Diego Forlan.

• He made his international debut in 2003 and picked up a World Cup runners-up medal in 2010.

Person in News

• As Reliance Industries (RIL) held its 42nd Annual General Meeting, one of its veteran board members and the first independent director of the company M.L. Bhakta retired. He has been on the RIL board since 1977.

• Fitness and lifestyle brand Reebok recently announced Varun Dhawan as its new brand ambassador.

Person in News

• Former judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Madan Lokur moved up taking oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Fiji. He retired as Supreme Court judge on December 31, 2018, after a tenure of more than 6 years.

• Guatemalans have voted in Alejandro Giammattei of the Vamos party as the country's next president. He had spent several months in prison in 2008.

Freedom fighter Dayanidhi Nayak passed away

• Freedom fighter Dayanidhi Nayak, who struggled against the British Government during the Quit India movement passed away in August 2019.

• One of the 32 freedom fighters from Panimora, he joined the Quit India movement against the British government and was a devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

• He was one of the last two surviving of the 32 foot soldiers from Panimora.

Person in News

• Senior Advocate and former Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan passed away in August 2019. He enrolled with the Bihar State Bar Council in 1975 and started practice in Patna High Court.

• India's Congress party appointed Sonia Gandhi to serve as interim president until it elects a new party chief. The party accepted the resignation of Rahul Gandhi, who quit in July 2019.

Valentina: Green Ambassador of Manipur

• Valentina Elangbam, a 9-year-old girl from Manipur, has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the Chief Minister's Green Manipur Mission.

• The young child was seen weeping profusely in a viral video after two trees that she had planted were cut down.

• She will be involved with several government-sponsored tree plantation programmes that include World Environment Day and Van Mahotsava.

SBI extended tenure of MD by 2 years

• SBI has extended the term of office of its Managing Director Dinesh Kumar Khara for further period of two years.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for extension of his tenure.

• He was appointed MD of SBI on 10 August 2016 for a period of three years which was extendable by two years after review of his performance.

Person in News I

• Actor Steve Coogan will be felicitated with the Charlie Chaplin Award by the British Academy's Los Angeles branch. He will receive the honour during the 2019 Britannia Awards.


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• Nobel Prize-winning US author Toni Morrison passed away in August 2019. In 1993, Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her 1987 novel 'Beloved' earned her a Pulitzer Prize.

Person in News II

• State-owned Power Grid Corporation Director (Finance) Kandikuppa Sreekant assumed the charge of the chairman and managing director of Power Grid Corporation of India.

• Legendary Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has announced his retirement from professional football. He had won the Golden Ball award after being adjudged the best player of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Naaz Joshi won Miss World Diversity title

• India's transsexual woman Naaz Joshi has made history with a third successive victory in the beauty pageant Miss World Diversity.

• Naaz was crowned Miss World Diversity 2019 on August 3 in Port Louis, Mauritius.

• The Miss World Diversity 2019 was held in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Person in News

• Former Padma Shri award winner and educationist Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy passed away in August 2019. She received the Padma Shri award in 2010 for her contribution to the field of education.

• Australia’s reigning world-champion hurdler Sally Pearson announced her surprise retirement due to injury. She is an Olympic gold-medallist in 2012 and 2-time world champion over 100 metres hurdles.

French inventor crossed English Channel

• French inventor Franky Zapata is 1st person in history to cross the English Channel on Flyboard Air, a jet-powered hoverboard.

• Zapata completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water.

• Zapata made the 35-kilometre (21.5 miles) crossing from the French seaside town of Sangatte to St. Margaret’s Bay in Dover, England.

Person in News

• Congress's Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip Bhubaneshwar Kalita resigned from the membership of the House opposing the party's stand on the abrogation of Article 370.

• South African bowler Dale Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket. He has played 93 Tests for South Africa, finishing with 439 wickets, the most in the long format by a South African bowler.

Dr Vinayak felicitated with an Award

• Dr Vinayak S Hiremath, known for his exemplary work in the field of medicine and is the youngest doctor of Gulbarga, has been felicitated with the 'Pride of the Nation Award'.

• The Award is given to the people who have made a notable contribution in their fields and in the process made India proud.

• Dr Vinayak is the first South Indian doctor to offer free insulin consultation and treatment.

Person in News I

• Well-known character artiste Devadas Kanakala passed away in August 2019. One of his last outing as an actor was in Bharat Ane Nenu starring Mahesh Babu in 2018.

• EU governments picked Bulgaria’s Kristalina Georgieva as the bloc’s candidate to lead the International Monetary Fund. She got the backing of a majority of the 28 EU states, defeating the Dutch candidate Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

Person in News II

• Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian origin doctor was crowned Miss England 2019. Bhasha holds two different medical degrees, has an IQ of 146 and is fluent in 5 different languages.

• The government appointed IRS officer Saurabh Kumar as the Private Secretary to Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. He will serve in the post for a period of four years and 10 months.


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Government Policies & Schemes

HUA launched 'Angikaar campaign'

• The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the 'Angikaar campaign'.

• It is aimed at bringing beneficiaries of PMAY (urban) into the fold of other central schemes such as Ujjawala and Ayushman Bharat.

• The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for gas connection and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(U).

Delhi government to launch a 10-week campaign

• Delhi government will launch mega 10-week campaign against dengue and chikungunya.

• The campaign has been titled as '10 Hafte, 10 Baje 10 minute Har Ravivar, Dengue Par War'.

• As per the campaign, people of Delhi are requested to give 10 minutes every Sunday at 10 a.m. to check all sources of stagnant water at their homes as the dengue mosquitoes breed only in clean water.

IRCTC has came up with a new scheme

• Indian Railways' ticketing and catering arm IRCTC has come up with a new scheme for passengers.

• If Tejas Express (IRCTC has bagged the rights to run the train) is late by more than hour then passengers may be eligible for compensation.

• IRCTC is planning to start the first of the two trains from Delhi to Lucknow from October 2019.

• The ticket prices will be in the line of Shatabdi Express.

5 lakh local water conserv. infra. developed

• Over 3 crore 70 lakh people have joined the nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

• The government had launched the ambitious initiative on 1 July 2019 to enhance water security, especially in water-stressed districts.

• During the past two months, the initiative has delivered over five lakh local water conservation infrastructures in 256 districts.

Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojna launched in Punjab

• The CM of Punjab launched a universal health insurance scheme Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana benefiting nearly 46 lakh families.

• Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people.

• The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases.

Manipur CM launched a scheme

• Manipur CM N Biren Singh launched the School Fagadaba (Make education better) scheme to improve the infrastructure of government schools.

• The objective of the scheme is to ensure better infrastructure, quality education and overall improvement of government schools to make them model schools.

• Biometric devices would be installed in schools for ensuring regular attendance of teachers.

Pb Govt brought 4500 journalists into SSBY

• Punjab Govt brought around 4500 journalists into the ambit of its recently launched universal health insurance scheme Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (SSBY).

• All journalists holding yellow cards, will be eligible to be covered under the scheme.

• The State Government will bear the entire premium under the scheme, for nearly 400 private hospitals in Punjab have been empanelled.

‘Uber for tractors’ launched

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare has launched ‘Uber for Tractors’ app.

• The app will help rural farmers to access cutting-edge technology at an affordable price at their doorsteps.

• Farmers can book and hire all the expensive agricultural equipment.

• There is also a rating system in the app which will register feedback from both the Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) and the farmers.

'Village Volunteers System' launched in Andhra

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched government's flagship programme Village Volunteers system on 15 August 2019.

• The scheme, aimed at providing governance services at doorsteps of people, will involve over 2.8 lakh volunteers.

• Under the scheme, one volunteer will cover 50 families in each village.

• Each volunteer will get an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month.

Online land revenue payment system launched

• Odisha has launched the online land revenue payment system in the state on 15 August 2019.

• Developed by NIC Bhubaneswar, the system will enable farmers to make payments within minutes and get rent receipts.

• This is the first of its kind initiative by the state Revenue department under the Odisha government's '5-T mantra' to provide better services to the people.

MCA amends provisions of Companies Act

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has amended the provisions relating to the issue of shares with Differential Voting Rights (DVRs) provisions under the Companies Act.


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• The objective is to enable promoters of Indian companies to retain control of their companies in their pursuit for growth and creation of long-term value for shareholders, even as they raise equity capital.

Centre launches San-Sadhan Hackathon

• Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under Swachh Bharat Mission, launched San-Sadhan Hackathon on 17 August 2019.

• The DEPwD has launched San-Sadhan Hackathon with an aim to enhance sensitivity and develop an ecosystem for creating a barrier-free environment.

• Startups, student innovators, technology enthusiasts, academicians and industry experts have been invited.

Naveen announces 'Mo Sarkar' initiative

• Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on 15 August 2019 announced the 'Mo Sarkar' initiative.

• The new initiative will commence from October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

• Under the new initiative, the chief minister and other ministers will call common citizens to seek their feedback on the kind of response and service they received when they visited the government facilities.

80 lakh farmer families to benefit from PMKSNY

• In MP, about 80 lakh eligible farmer families will benefit from the Pradhanmantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana in the state.

• Under the scheme, total Rs 6,000 that is Rs 2,000 each in three installments are being deposited every year directly in the accounts of the eligible farmer families.

• Scheme has been envisioned with an aim to improve the life of small and marginal farmers of the country.

Swachh Nagar app launched

• Swachh Nagar app was launched by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

• It will allow users to have waste collected by their urban local bodies along with a new protocol on wastewater treatment that would become a part of cleanliness rankings of cities.

• The app had been tested in Gurugram and in some of the General Pool Residential Accommodation colonies for government staff.

Scheme regarding partial credit guarantee

• The Government has issued a scheme regarding partial credit guarantee.

• It would enable the public sector banks (PSBs) to purchase pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs amounting to Rs. one lakh crore.

• The objective is to address temporary asset liability mismatches of otherwise solvent NBFCs/HFCs without

having to resort to distress sale of their assets for meeting their commitments.

Venkaiah Naidu launched a scheme in Jharkhand

• VP Venkaiah Naidu launched the Jharkhand government's 'Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana'.

• Under this scheme, money would be directly transferred into the bank accounts of farmers in the state.

• Beneficiaries having farm land of less than one acre to five acres, will get Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 in their bank accounts.

• CM of Jharkhand- Raghubar Das • Governor of Jharkhand- Draupadi Murmu

Punjab govt to provide 28000 agro-machines

• The Punjab Agriculture Department has initiated a massive drive to provide more than 28000 agro-machines/farm equipment to farmers.

• Subsidy component of Rs.278 crore will be provided for the scheme during the current fiscal year under the first phase for in-situ management of paddy residue.

• Subsidy ranging from 50%-80% is being provided to the farmers under the scheme.

Krishi Ashirwad Yojana inaugurated

• 'Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana' was inaugurated in Jharkhand on 10 August 2019.

• Under the scheme, farmers holding land of an acre or less would be eligible for receiving Rs 5,000 and farmers with five acres of land would be eligible to receive Rs 25,000 in two fixed instalments.

• The scheme was incorporated in the state budget from the financial year 2019-2020.

1st State to Release Bio-Fuel Policy

• The Rajasthan government on 9 August 2019 released biofuel rules-2019 on the eve of the World Biofuel Day.

• Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said Rajasthan is the first state in the country to bring the policy for biofuel after the notification of the Centre.

• Promotion of biofuel will reduce the need for fossil fuel in the interest of the environment, and also generate employment.

Air India launched 'Discover India' scheme

• Air India introduced a 'Discover India' scheme valid for sale and travel up to March 31, 2020.

• The scheme is rolled out to meet the growing demand of passengers to fly to different places of tourist and religious interest within the country by the Indian diaspora and foreign tourists.

• 10 domestic economy class tickets are also on offer for Rs 75,000 with a validity period of 30 days.

Haryana government to roll out new scheme


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• Haryana Government announced the roll-out of 'Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojna' on 9 August 2019.

• Under the scheme, Rs 6000 per year will be given to each eligible family.

• Families having an annual income less than Rs 1,80,000 or a total landholding of fewer than two hectares are eligible.

• Each beneficiary family will be entitled to get Rs 500 per month.

Odisha small savings incentive scheme launched

• The Odisha government launched a small savings scheme for 2019.

• It will stop people from transacting with 'suspicious' non-banking private financial institutions.

• Under this scheme, any eligible person who deposits a minimum amount of Rs 2,000 in any small savings scheme during 2019 in any post office or bank in the state, can obtain a free web based coupon from the office of collectors.

Govt sanctioned over 5,000 electric buses

• Government has sanctioned 5,595 electric buses in 64 cities for intracity and intercity operations under the second phase of FAME India scheme.

• The objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicle by way of offering upfront incentives on purchase of electric vehicles.

• This will give a further push to clean mobility in public transportation.

HIV to be reduced by 2020: Health ministry

• Health ministry has set target to reduce HIV cases by 2020. • Its aim is to bring down incidence of HIV/AIDS by 20,000

per year for the next two years. • As of now, there are about 2.1 million patients suffering

from the disease, however, only 1.3 million are registered with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres and getting the treatment as per the National Aids Control Organization (NACO).

States & Districts felicitated under BBBP

• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development felicitated those Districts and States who have successfully implemented the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)scheme in the country.

• The function was held on 7th August, 2019 in New Delhi. • The BBBP scheme launched on 22 January 2015 has been

implemented in phases. • Currently, it is being implemented in 640 districts (as per

census 2011).

35 lakh people benefited from ABY scheme

• Chhattisgarh is one of the best performing state under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

• About 35 lakh people have so far benefited from the scheme in the country of which five lakh are from Chhattisgarh.

• The scheme was launched with a vision to provide the poor, and the underprivileged with better healthcare and treatment.

• This scheme envisions health assurance of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.

Mumbai Police gets criminal tracking system

• The Maharashtra government has set up the Automated Multimodal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) - the first-of-its-kind in India.

• The AMBIS system can collect demographic and biometric data of criminals including finger and palm prints; IRIS and face recognition and can be stored in the system.

• This system would be useful in quickly providing information about criminals.

Gujarat CM launched ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’

• Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ in Rajkot on 2 August 2019.

• According to scheme, the State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of admission to Standard 4th, Rs. 6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs. 1-lakh at the time of marriage.

ONORC scheme implemented on pilot basis

• Government launched the One Nation-One Ration Card scheme on a pilot basis in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat from 1 August 2019.

• Families who have food security cards can buy subsidized rice and wheat from any ration shop in these states.

• Their ration cards should be linked with Aadhar Number to avail this service.

Mobile library buses launched

• The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel launched the Mobile Library Buses procured under C.S.R assistance from Airports Authority of India.

• The Programme was organized by Delhi Public Library of Ministry of Culture in New Delhi on 31 July 2019.

• It was launched under 'Ghar-GharDastakGharGharPustak' Scheme which aims to provide books to the citizens of Delhi.

Science & Technology

Astra Rafael opened facility

• An Indo-Israel joint venture’s Astra Rafael Communication System was inaugurated in Hyderabad.

• The system will design, develop and manufacture tactical communication systems for Indian armed forces.


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• The Joint Venture between Astra Microwave and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has become India’s first private sector firm to manufacture software-defined radios in multiple variants.

Cartosat-3 satellite to be launched

• India will launch its advanced cartography satellite, Cartosat-3, towards the end of October or early November 2019.

• Cartosat-3 will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket.

• An earth observation or remote sensing satellite, Cartosat-3 is an advanced version with better spatial and spectral characteristics as compared to the Cartosat-2 series satellites.

ISRO releases photos of Moon craters

• ISRO released a set of pictures showing the surface of the Moon using the Terrain Mapping Camera installed on Chandrayaan-2.

• The pictures shows craters such as Jackson, Mitra, Mach and Korolev.

• The Mitra crater was named after Professor Sisir Kumar Mitra, an Indian physicist and a Padma Bhushan recipient who was known for his pioneering work in the field of ionosphere and Radiophysics.

NASA confirmed Europa Clipper mission

• NASA confirmed the next phase of development of the Europa Clipper Mission.

• It is an interplanetary mission to Jupiter’s smallest moon Europa with the target.

• It is conducting an in-depth exploration of Jupiter’s moon Europa whether the icy moon can have suitable conditions for sustaining life and increase our insights into astrobiology.

Rocket carrying life-sized robot launched

• Russia launched a rocket carrying life-sized robot to the International Space Station (ISS) from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

• The robot, named Fedor is the first-ever sent into space by Russia.

• In order to test a new emergency rescue system, the robot was the Soyuz rocket's only passenger.

• During its 10 days at the ISS, Fedor will learn new skills such as connecting electric cables.

World’s largest computer chip revealed

• Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s largest single silicon-based processor named Cerebras Wafer Scale Engine(WSE).

• This chip has 1.2 trillion transistors, the basic on-off electronic switches that are the building blocks of silicon chips.

• The rectangular shape chip measures 21.5cm sq (8.5in sq), comes with 400,000 AI (Artificial Intelligence) cores and 18 gigabytes of on-chip memory.

NCPCR & IIT Kanpur developed kit

• IIT Kanpur has developed a kit in collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to spread awareness about sexual abuse among children.

• The kit can be used in classrooms for kids aged between 8-12 and in a group of 30-35 students in one session.

• The kit constitutes a set of cards, posters, short animation clips and games, which can be used by teachers or an NGO.

5 new fish species discovered in Arunachal P.

• In Arunachal Pradesh, researchers of the Rajiv Gandhi University have discovered 5 new fish species in various districts of the state.

• The scientific names of the newly-discovered fish species are Mystus prabini, found in Sinkin and Dibang rivers and Exostoma kottelati.

• Other discovered species are Creteuchiloglanis tawangensis, Garra ranganensis, and Physoschistura harkishorei.

FDA approves new drug for tuberculosis

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new oral three-drug regimen for the extensively-drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), estimated to have a mortality rate of 60 per cent.

• The treatment involves 'Pretomanid' tablets in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid, collectively referred to as the BPaL regimen.

• It has an efficacy rate of 90%.

Scientist discover pain sensing organ in skin

• Researchers have discovered a new sensory organ in the skin that is able to detect painful mechanical damage, such as pricks and impacts, an advance that may help develop novel painkillers.

• Almost one person in every five experiences constant pain and there is a considerable need to find new painkilling drugs, according to research published in the journal Science.

Albama: Moon spacecraft Headquarters

• NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced that Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama will serve as headquarters for NASA's programme to build a spacecraft to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024.

• The programme has been named Artemis. • The new lunar mission is likely to cost $20 billion to $30

billion dollars over five years.

ISRO chairman conferred APJ Abdul Kalam Award


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• Chairman of ISRO K. Sivan was awarded Tamil Nadu government’s Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award on 15 August 2019.

• Under his leadership, the organisation launched its Chandrayaan-2 mission.

• Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami handed over the State government’s Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to P. Ramyalakshmi, Assistant Director of Fisheries posted in Cuddalore.

WhatsApp brought fingerprint authentication

• One of WhatsApp's most awaited features, fingerprint authentication, is finally rolling out to Android users.

• The feature is currently available to those who have registered in WhatsApp's beta programme for Android.

• This is the first time the feature has made its way to a stable WhatsApp beta build for Android.

IIT Kg researchers developed blood test device

• Researchers from IIT Kharagpur have developed a low-cost diagnostic device.

• It can perform various pathological tests by using blood taken from a fingerprick.

• The device requires only a paper strip based kit integrated with a smartphone to enable analytics and readout functions and LED light for imaging.

• The key aspect of the kit, developed by a research team led by Prof Suman Chakraborty.

NASA Demos Water-Powered Spacecraft Abilities

• NASA demonstrated the first coordinated manoeuvre between 2 tissue box-sized water-powered spacecraft in the low Earth orbit.

• They were orbiting Earth about 9 km from one another. • The two spacecraft established a radio frequency

communication cross-link to talk with each other. • One spacecraft issued a command to the second to

activate its thruster and close the gap between the two.

Trans-lunar injection to move Chandrayaan-2

• ISRO will undertake on August 14, 2019, the crucial process of trans-lunar injection to move Chandrayaan-2 from earth's orbit towards the moon.

• By this manoeuvre, Chandrayaan-2 will leave earth's orbit and move towards the moon.

• It will finally land near the south pole of the moon on September 7, 2019.

• ISRO is expecting a soft landing on the lunar surface.

Largest parrot discovered in New Zealand

• Fossils of the largest parrot ever recorded have been found in New Zealand.

• The fossils are estimated to have weighed about 7kg, it would have been more than twice as heavy as the kakapo, previously the largest known parrot.

• Palaeontologists have named the new species Heracles inexpectatus to reflect its unusual size and strength and the unexpected nature of the discovery.

IIT-M student designed system to recycle urine

• A student specialising in environmental engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has come up with a method to recycle human urine.

• Project Water Chakra won the Indian Innovation Growth Programme 2.0 award in July 2019.

• The concentrated urine is stored for three days to allow the urea to get converted to ammonia.

• Through electrochemical process, 90% of water can be recovered.

SpaceX launched Falcon 9

• US carrier rocket Falcon 9 loaded with Israeli AMOS-17 communication satellite successfully lifted off from a space center in Florida, on 7 August 2019.

• Falcon 9 launch marked this booster's third flight and SpaceX's 25th reflight of an orbit class rocket.

• Amos-17 will provide Ka, Ku and C-band signal transmission and expand Spacecom's coverage in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

World's thinnest '2D' gold

• Scientists have developed '2D' gold so fine that even a human fingernail is thicker in comparison.

• The scientists at the University of Leeds, have created the world's thinnest gold measuring two atoms thick or million times thinner than a fingernail.

• In its 2D form, gold becomes flexible that adds to its potential of being used more efficiently such as in bendable screens, etc.

IIT Guwahati developed portable device

• A team of researchers at IIT Guwahati has developed a portable device to detect bacteria without cell culture.

• The hand-held device, with a bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis.

• The teamwork has been patented and published in the July 2019 issue of 'Journal of Materials Chemistry of the Royal Society of Chemistry'.

AI used to detect fast radio bursts

• Scientists have developed an automated system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and capture fast radio bursts (FRBs) in real-time.

• FRBs are mysterious and powerful flashes of radio waves from space, thought to originate billions of light-years from the Earth.

• The system, described in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society has already identified 5 bursts.

ISRO released first set of earth pictures


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• ISRO released the first set of pictures of the earth, captured by Chandrayaan 2, the country's second Moon mission.

• The pictures were captured by L 14 camera onboard Chandrayaan II.

• The pictures show the earth in different hues. • The LI-4 camera onboard the lander Vikram of the

spacecraft show the crystal clear and panoramic view of the earth, around which it is still revolving.

World's smallest monkey fossil found

• Scientists have uncovered remains of the smallest fossil monkey ever found in Peru's Amazon jungle.

• The specimen is important because it helps bridge a 15-million-year gap in the fossil record for New World monkeys.

• The new fossil was unearthed from an exposed riverbank along the Ro Alto Madre de Dios in southeastern Peru.

NASA satellite discovers first super-Earth

• NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered the super-Earth planet — named GJ 357 d.

• The exoplanet is more massive than the earth. • With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could

maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth. • The planet, GJ 357 d, orbits a dwarf star in the Hydra

constellation.

US scientists announce 3D heart printing

• Scientists in US have successfully built functional heart parts out of collagen using a 3D bioprinter, a breakthrough they say could one day create entire organs.

• Their technique replicates the body's own complex biological scaffolds that provide the structure and biochemical signaling organs need to function.

• Collagen is an ideal biomaterial for the task.

IIT-KGP researchers develop tech

• A research team at IIT Kharagpur has developed a technology which can generate energy from solid waste with high moisture content.

• The new technology - Hydro Thermal Carbonization (HTC) - can convert municipal solid waste to biofuel, soil amendment and absorbents.

• The moisture in the waste is used to the advantage of the process which uses water for the reaction.

Committees & Recommendations RBI accepts recommendation of Jalan Committee

• RBI implemented the recommendations of Bimal Jalan Committee and decided to transfer Rs 1.76 lakh crore dividend and surplus reserve fund to the government.

• Bimal Jalan committee was asked to decide how much reserve money the central bank should have.

• Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar was included in this committee on behalf of the government.

• The committee had finalized its report on 14 August

9TH Session of India-Kenya JTC held

• The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on 19-20 August 2019 in New Delhi.

• The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal.

• Both sides reviewed the developments in their bilateral trade and noted the trends since the last session of the India-Kenya JTC held in August 2018.

Committee to review defence procurement

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the setting up of a Committee under the chairmanship of Director General (Acquisition) to review the Defence Procurement Procedure 2016 and Defence Procurement Manual 2009 to strengthen the 'Make in India' programme.

• The Committee will revise and align the procedures with the aim of ensuring a seamless flow from asset acquisition to life cycle support.

CSR non-compliance should be a civil offence

• A high-level committee has recommended that non-compliance with CSR norms be made a civil offence and moved to a penalty regime.

• This is a departure from the recent policy change which had provided for a three-year jail term for violating CSR norms.

• The committee chaired by Injeti Srinivas, secretary, corporate affairs ministry, submitted its recommendations to Sitharaman.

Amit Shah to head panel on mob lynchings

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah will head the panel constituted to combat incidents of mob violence and lynching across the country.

• The government had formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) in 2018 to deliberate on incidents of lynching and make recommendations.

• When constituted, the panel was headed by then Home minister Rajnath Singh.

Business & Economy

Ind-Ra cuts GDP growthforecast in FY20 to 6.7%

• India Ratings and Research has revised downwards its projection of the country’s GDP growth in financial year 2019-20 to 6.7%.

• It is a six-year low, from its earlier forecast of 7.3%. • The agency expects growth in the first quarter of the

current financial year to decline for the fifth consecutive quarter to 5.7%.

Indian Bank opened MSME processing centre


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• Indian Bank has opened MSME CPC (centralised processing centre) in Chennai.

• The centralised processing centre will give a boost to the bank’s MSME portfolio and will lead to speedy disposal of micro, small and medium enterprises’ loans.

• The bank has also deployed skilled manpower in the CPC to improve credit quality and shorten transaction processing time.

Govt permitted 100% FDI in coal mining

• The Union Cabinet relaxed Foreign Direct Investment rule for foreign single-brand retailers and permitted foreign investment in contract manufacturing and coal mining.

• 100% FDI under automatic route in coal mining and associated infrastructure has been approved.

• 26% FDI has also been allowed under government route for uploading and streaming of News and Current Affairs through Digital Media.

Canara Bank launched OTP facility

• Public sector lender Canara Bank has launched the first OTP facility for ATM withdrawals.

• In order to offer a more secured and safe system, Canara bank will activate OTP facility for cash withdrawals of Rs 10,000 or more in a day.

• This move is in line with banks trying to take security measures to safeguard customers who use debit cards to withdraw cash at ATMs.

Bimal Jalan panel report

• The Bimal Jalan panel of the Reserve Bank has recommended that the revised economic capital framework will be reviewed every five years.

• The RBI, under the revised framework, decided to transfer 52,637 crore rupees excess provisions to the government.

• The panel's report also recommended that the RBI accounting year may be brought in sync with the fiscal year from the next financial year.

Bandhan Bank launched co-branded credit card

• Bandhan Bank launched a co-branded credit card in association with Standard Chartered bank.

• This credit card would be offered to 40 lakh savings bank account holders across the 1,000 branches of Bandhan Bank.

• As part of the tie-up, while Standard Chartered bank will take the credit risk, Bandhan Bank will be responsible for identifying and issuing cards to its customers.

Government removes DRR requirement

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Share Capital & Debentures) Rules by removing Debenture Redemption Reserve requirement for Listed Companies, NBFCs and HFCs.

• Debenture Redemption Reserve for unlisted companies reduced to 10% of outstanding debentures from the present level of 25%.

• The decision has been taken in pursuance of the Budget announcements for 2019-20.

RTGS System To Open At 7 AM

• In order to promote digital transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the customer transactions timing for Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system by an hour.

• Funds can be transferred through the RTGS system from 7 am instead of 8 am from 26 August 2019.

• At present, RTGS system is available for customer transactions from 8 am to 6 pm.

SEBI eases FPI norms

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 21 August 2019 eased the process for onboarding overseas investors.

• SEBI also introduced an ‘informant mechanism’ to gather better evidence and crackdown on insider-trading cases.

• FPIs would no longer be required to meet the ‘broad-basing’ criteria, under which at least 20 investors were required to establish a fund.

Moody's cuts India GDP growth forecast

• On 23 August 2019, Moody's Investors Service has cut India's GDP growth forecast for 2019 calendar year to 6.2% from the previous estimation of 6.8%.

• For 2020 calendar year, it reduced the estimate by a similar measure to 6.7%.

• Moody's said the weaker global economy has stunted Asian exports and the uncertain operating environment has weighed on investment.

RBI allowed e-mandate for cards

• The RBI has permitted processing of e-mandate on credit and debit cards for recurring transactions (merchant payments).

• The maximum limit for such a transaction will be Rs 2,000. • While processing the first transaction in e-mandate-based

recurring transaction series, additional factor authentication (AFA) validation should be performed.

SEBI announced reward of Rs.1 crore

• SEBI has announced a reward of upto Rs.1 crore for informants willing to provide credible information regarding insider trading cases.

• This will be a part of the detailed set of rules for the new 'Informant Mechanism' under Prohibition of Insider Trading Regulations.

• The norms also propose a possible amnesty or settlement for minor wrongdoings in return for cooperation in the probe.


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ANZ slashes forecast for India's GDP growth

• Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) slashed its forecast for India's economic growth to 6.2% in the financial year ending next March from a previous estimate of 6.5%.

• India's quarterly GDP growth slowed to a five-year low of 5.8% in January-March 2019.

• ANZ also downgraded its forecast for the year to March 2021 to 6.5% from 7.1%.

Free ATM transactions not for failed transac.

• The RBI asked banks not to count failed transactions at ATMs due to technical reasons as part of “free ATM transactions” permitted every month.

• Besides, use of ATMs for balance enquiry and fund transfers too should be not part of the free transactions facility given to a customer.

• Banks provide certain number of free transactions at ATMs to their customers and beyond that impose charges.

RBI to issue revised norms

• Housing finance companies (HFCs) will be treated as a category of non-banks, as per RBI.

• It will release a revised regulatory framework for these entities.

• This comes after the Finance Act, 2019 amended the National Housing Bank Act, 1987, conferring certain powers for regulation of HFCs with the Reserve Bank of India.

Centre amended National Housing Bank Act

• The government has activated two Budget proposals laid out to provide relief to the Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs).

• The National Housing Bank Act has been amended to bring housing finance companies (HFCs) under the RBI's ambit.

• Also, banks can now classify the credit provided to NBFCs (for example, HFCs) for on-lending as priority sector lending.

UCO, Allahabad bank slashed MCLR

• Allahabad Bank and UCO Bank slashed marginal cost of funds- based lending rate (MCLR) across all tenors.

• Allahabad Bank has reduced its MCLR by 15 to 20 basis points (bps) for different tenors, effective from August 14, 2019.

• UCO Bank has cut the same by 15 bps across all tenors. • The one-year MCLR is the rate based on which the retail

loans such as home and car advances are linked.

Mastercard launches identity check express

• Mastercard announced the launch of Identity Check Express, a next-generation, mobile-first authentication solution.

• The solution will help eliminate unnecessary friction and enhance the security of online transactions.

• It combines the latest technology, including device intelligence and behavioural biometrics, with the latest EMV 3-D Secure and FIDO authentication standards

NBFCs to receive more liquidity support

• The RBI has allowed banks’ lending to Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for on-lending to agriculture, micro and small enterprises, and housing to be classified as priority sector lending, up to specified limits.

• The RBI raised any bank’s exposure limit to a single NBFC from the existing 15% to 20% of tier-1 capital.

• The idea is to ease liquidity pressure in NBFCs.

LIC launches Jeevan Amar protection plan

• LIC has launched a new term insurance plan called Jeevan Amar.

• It is a non-linked, without profit, pure protection plan, and is available for sale offline.

• It offers the flexibility to choose from two death benefit options – the level sum assured and increasing sum assured.

• The minimum sum assured under the plan is ₹25 lakh with no maximum limit.

NCAER sees GDP growth at 6.2%

• Economic think tank NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) expects the agriculture gross value added (GVA) to remain flat in 2019-20, pulling down the country’s economic growth rate to 6.2% in FY20, from 6.8% in FY19.

• The NCAER’s projection for the economic growth rate is the lowest among the various estimates that have come so far.

'Speed Dial - your partner for life' launched

• Max Life Insurance launched the one-of-its-kind initiative, 'Speed Dial Max Life Insurance - Your Partner for Life'.

• Under this initiative, Max Life will assign every customer a dedicated relationship manager, known as the 'Partner for Life' for all their policy-related service needs.

• The initiative will provide a quick and easy resolution of policy servicing needs to customers.

PNB Housing Finance raises Rs 522 cr via ECB

• PNB Housing Finance raised fresh equity of Rs 522 crore ($75 million) as External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Singapore.

• The ECB is under the Reserve Bank of India's automatic route of approval and the proceeds will be used by the company as per the applicable RBI guidelines.

• Sanjaya Gupta is the Managing Director of PNB Housing Finance.


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Extended hours for forex market recommended

• The Task Force on Offshore Rupee Markets, headed by Usha Thorat, former RBI Deputy Governor has recommended that onshore market hours may be suitably extended to match the flexibility provided by the offshore market.

• It was constituted in view of the sharp growth in offshore trading volumes in the rupee Non-Deliverable Forwards (NDF) market.

Jana SFB gets Scheduled Bank status

• Jana Small Finance Bank Ltd, which commenced banking operations in March 2018, has got the status of a Scheduled Bank.

• The Government notified this on 27 July 2019, putting Jana Small Finance Bank on the list of the banks included in the second schedule of RBI Act 1934.

• Ajay Kanwal is the MD & CEO of Jana Small Finance Bank.

EnKash launches corporate credit card for SMEs

• Business-to-business payments startup EnKash on 9 August 2019 launched the country's first corporate credit card called 'Freedom Card' for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

• The Freedom Card would give SMEs and startups the freedom to avail credit facility for immediate needs and to manage their liquidity.

• The card caters to the varied billing cycles as per the working capital cycles.

CAIT launches digital payments initiative

• Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) launched an initiative -- Digi Vyapari-Safal Vyapari -- to accelerate acceptance of digital payments among merchants across the country.

• CAIT has partnered with HDFC Bank, Mastercard, Common Service Centres (CSCs) of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) and Global Linkers for the initiative.

RBL Bank launched 1st health credit card

• RBL Bank and digital healthcare platform Practo have partnered to launch an industry-first co-branded health credit card.

• The card is powered by Mastercard and is available on both Practo and RBL mobile apps and websites.

• It offers benefits like unlimited and round-the-clock online consultations with experienced doctors and 2 complimentary domestic airport lounge accesses every quarter.

OBC, IDBI Bank cut MCLR up to 15 basis points

• Oriental Bank of Commerce and IDBI Bank announced a cut in the range of 0.05 to 0.15 percentage point in the marginal cost of funds based lending rates (MCLR).

• Oriental Bank of Commerce has decided to decrease its MCLR by up to 10 basis points across various tenors.

• IDBI Bank announced a reduction of 0.10 percentage point in its one-year MCLR to 8.95%.

Business and Economy

• Within hours of a steeper 35 basis points reduction in the repo rates by the Reserve Bank, the State Bank of India announced a 15 basis points reduction in its lending rates. The new rates of 8.25 will be effective from August 10, 2019.

• PNB has recovered ₹278.66 crore as penalty in the financial year 2018-19 from the poor account holders for not maintaining a minimum balance.

RBI cuts repo rate by 35 basis points

• The RBI's monetary policy committee lowered its repo rate by an unconventional 35 basis points to 5.4%.

• This is the fourth reduction in a row of its key policy rate since Shaktikanta Das took over as the governor of the central bank in December 2018

• The path of CPI inflation is now projected at 3.1% for the second quarter of FY20 and 3.5-3.7% for second half of FY20.

RBI opened liquidity tap for stressed NBFCs

• The RBI announced 2 key measures to help non-bank financial companies.

• The first initiative deals with harmonisation of single counterparty exposure limit for banks’ exposure.

• The second initiative deals with credit to the priority sector.

• Detailed guidelines on the above measures will be issued by the end of August 2019.

Business and Economy

• The RBI plans to make the online payment system, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT), available 24x7, in what may provide a boost to the government’s digital payments plan.

• The RBI has decided to set a Central Payment Fraud Registry to track frauds in the payment systems. Payment system participants will be provided access to this registry for near-real-time fraud monitoring.

SGX and NSE to operate jointly in GIFT City

• SEBI approved Singapore Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd to operate jointly in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, Gandhinagar.

• The two entities will create a new platform for trading called NSE International Financial Service Centre (IFSC)-SGX Connect.

• NSE-IFSC will allow trading in Nifty index derivatives and single-stock derivatives of Nifty’s 50 constituent.

RBI imposed penalty of Rs 8.5 cr on 11 banks


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• The RBI has imposed a monetary penalty on 11 banks for non-compliance with certain provisions frauds classification and reporting by commercial banks.

• The banks are Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Federal Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, UCO Bank and United Bank of India.

RBI updated fit & proper norms for PSB boards

• Members of Parliament, state legislatures, or local bodies such as municipal corporations cannot be on the boards of public sector banks, as per RBI.

• Also, partners of chartered accountancy firms engaged as statutory central auditors at any public sector bank cannot join the boards of these banks.

• Candidates for the post of board members should also not be a member of any rival bank.

Deloitte quit as auditor of crisis-hit DHFL

• Deloitte has quit as the auditor of cash-strapped DHFL. • Cash-strapped DHFL sits on a debt pile of ₹90,000 crore

and has defaulted on its various repayment obligations in a serial manner in the recent past.

• DHFL in mid-July posted its biggest-ever quarterly loss of ₹2,224 crore for the quarter ended March of 2018-19 fiscal.

• The financial results were delayed due to the ongoing concerns.

RBI imposed ₹50 lakh fine on SBI

• The Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on SBI for non-compliance relating to reporting of frauds.

• RBI has slapped penalties on eight commercial banks, including, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda, for a host of violations.

• RBI imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on PNB for delay in reporting of fraud in the account of Kingfisher Airlines.

Crisil cuts FY20 GDP growth forecast to 6.9%

• Ratings agency Crisil has cut its forecast for GDP growth in 2019-20 to 6.9% from its earlier forecast of 7.1%, citing weak monsoon, slow global growth and poor high-frequency data for the first quarter of the financial year.

• Crisil also expects corporate sector growth to slow to 8% in 2019-20.

• It also said that banking sector NPAs are expected to come down to about 8% by the end of 2019-20

Flipkart launches 'Samarth' initiative

• E-commerce company Flipkart launched ‘Samarth’, an initiative to bring weavers, artisans and makers of handicrafts to its platform.

• Flipkart Samarth will support such artisans, weavers, etc, by on-boarding them and helping them in the process of selling on the internet.

• This includes support for cataloguing, account management, seller support, and warehousing support.

SBI:1st bank to link up with China pay. sys.

• The SBI's Shanghai branch is now connected to China's National Advance Payment System (CNAPS), becoming the first Indian Bank to operationalise it.

• The CNAPS was launched in 2008 by People's Bank of China (PBOC).

• It provides real-time settlement services for all payments cleared in mainland China, as well as in all clearing banks in offshore yuan centers, such as Hong Kong.

NBFCs won't charge loan foreclosure penalties

• The Reserve Bank barred non-banking finance companies from charging pre-payment penalties or foreclosure charges from individual borrowers.

• Foreclosure charges are part of the fee income for any lender and adds to its bottomline.

• These direction covers both deposit-taking and non- deposit-taking NBFCs which are considered systemically important ones.

RBI imposed fine on 7 PSBs

• The Reserve Bank has imposed a collective penalty of ₹11 crore on seven public sector banks for violating norms on current account opening.

• Allahabad Bank and Bank of Maharashtra have been imposed a fine of ₹2 crore each, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and United Bank of India have been fined ₹1.5 crore each, while Oriental Bank of Commerce with a penalty of ₹1 crore.

Government approved proposal given by RBI

• The government has approved a proposal given by the RBI on draft modalities of the guarantee to operationalize the Budget announcement.

• This is in regard to one-time partial credit to the Public Sector Banks for purchase of high-rated assets of financially sound Non-banking financial companies.

• The Department of Financial Services would put in place an oversight mechanism for this scheme.

BoC to offer regular banking services in India

• The RBI has allowed Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India.

• All commercial banks, like SBI, HDFC Bank, PNB and ICICI Bank, are in the Second Schedule.

• Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI.

• The name of 'The Royal Bank of Scotland plc' has been changed to 'NatWest Markets Plc' in the Second Schedule.


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8 core sectors growth drops to 0.2% in June

• Growth of 8 core industries dropped to 0.2% in June mainly due to a contraction in oil-related sectors as well as in cement production.

• The 8-core sector industries - coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity - had expanded by 7.8% in June 2018.

• During April-June, the 8 sectors grew by 3.5% compared to 5.5% in the same period in 2018.

Sports Virgil van Dijk, Lucy Bronze won UEFA Award

• Liverpool Football player Virgil van Dijk has won UEFA’s Player of the Year award.

• He beat Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, while England footballer Lucy Bronze took the Women’s Player of the Year award.

• UEFA also handed out positional awards for male players, with Van Dijk for Champions League Defender of the Season.

Sports News

• India and Nepal secured the top two spots in the Under-15 SAFF Football Championship at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal on 29 August 2019. India beat defending champions Bangladesh 4-0, while Nepal trounced Bhutan 6-0.

• In shooting, Abhishek Verma won the gold medal and Saurabh Chaudhary the bronze, in the men's 10m air pistol event of the World Cup at Rio de Janeiro.

25th Sr Women’s Nat Football C'ship to be held

• The 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship will be held in Arunachal Pradesh for the first time from September 10-24, 2019.

• The tournament will be held in the oldest town of the state Pasighat in East Siang District.

• A total of 30 teams from across the country, representing various States, Union Territories and Indian Railways will participate in the tournament.

Person in News

• West Indies pacer Cecil Wright announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at old age of 85. He claims to have played over two million games taking over 7,000 wickets in professional cricket.

• Former Manchester United forward player Eric Cantona will be honoured with the 2019 UEFA President’s Award. The award recognises outstanding achievements and professional excellence of the player.

Sports Minister gave Rs 1.82 cr to medallists

• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju handed over 1.82 crore rupees to the medallists of the Para-Badminton World Championship.

• He amended the policy for para-athletes to make them eligible for more cash awards.

• As per the amended guidelines, medal winners in world events and world championships, organised by International Paralympic Committee will be eligible for cash awards from the government.

Sports News

• The Indian team created history by winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the 45th World Skills Kazan 2019 competition, in Russia on 27 August 2019.

• Virat Kohli maintained his lead over Australia's Steve Smith in the latest ICC Cricket Test rankings released in Dubai on 27 August 2019. Top-ranked Kohli has 910 points while Smith, with 904, is placed second.

Manasi secures maiden gold

• India had a world champion in Basel (Switzerland) even before the whole nation trained its attention on champion shuttler, P.V. Sindhu, taking on Japanese Nozomi Okuhara in the women’s singles final.

• 30-year-old Manasi Joshi clinched the gold in women’s singles SL3 final defeating World No. 1 and compatriot Parul Parmar 21-12, 21-7 to pick her maiden title in Para World badminton championship

India's Sumit Nagal gave Roger Federer a scare

• World No. 190 Sumit Nagal of India became the 1st Indian to take a set off Roger Federer in Tennis.

• Nagal will rise to a career-high ranking of 175 following his maiden Grand Slam appearance.

• Sumit Nagal won the 2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles title with his Vietnamese partner Lý Hoàng Nam.

• He became the sixth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam Title.

Person in News

• Mobil India has announced its association with wrestling champion Bajrang Punia as the new brand ambassador for its commercial vehicle lubricants’ segment.

• Veteran batsman-wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was named captain of the Tamil Nadu team for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. This was announced by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's (TNCA) State Senior Selection Committee.

Virat: India’s most successful Test captain

• Virat Kohli added yet another feather to his cap but this time as the captain of India after leading his team to a 318-run win over the West Indies in the first Test in Antigua.

• This was India's biggest margin of victory in away Tests in terms of runs.


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• The victory saw Virat Kohli equal MS Dhoni's record of 27 Test wins, making him the joint-most successful captain for India in Test cricket.

PV Sindhu created history at WBC

• P V Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championships gold on 25 August 2019.

• She beat Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the final. • It was Sindhu’s fifth World Championships medal. • Sindhu has also won an Olympic silver in 2016 Rio Games,

a silver at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, an Asian Games silver at Jakarta and the BWF World Tour Finals in 2019.

Sports News

• In football, Gokulam Kerala FC won the 129th Durand Cup, defeating heavyweights Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 24 August 2019.

• India's Komalika Bari became recurve cadet world champion at the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, Spain on 25 August 2019. She defeated Sonoda Waka of Japan 7-3 in the final and earned India's second gold.

India won bronze medal in archery

• In Archery, the Indian team of Sukhbeer Singh, Sangampreet Singh Bisla and Tushar Phadtare clinched a bronze medal in the junior compound men's team event in the World Youth Championships in Madrid on 23 August 2019.

• The compound junior mixed team of Raginee Markoo and Sukhbeer Singh also assured India of a second silver medal, beating their Iranian opponents.

PM Modi to launch Fit India Movement

• PM Narendra Modi is set to launch Fit India Movement. • The nation-wide campaign aims to encourage people to

inculcate physical activity and sports in their everyday lives.

• A 28 member committee headed by Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju has been formed to advise the government on the movement.

• Actors Shilpa Shetty and Milind Soman will also be involved.

Sports News

• Constable Monali Jadhav won 3 medals, including 2 golds, at the recently concluded World Police and Fire Games International Championship held in China.

• The World Anti-Doping Agency has suspended the accreditation of India's National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) for 6 months. The suspension has been imposed due to non-conformities with the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL).

India won gold in World Police and Fire Games

• B.N.S. Reddy, a current member of the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit won the gold medal at the World Police and Fire Games in Chengdu, China, recently.

• He beat Bruce Barrios of the U.S. 7-6, 6-3 in the men’s singles final.

• This is the third consecutive time Reddy has won a gold medal at the World Police and Fire Games.

Delhi leg of Op-Blue Freedom flagged off

• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off the Delhi leg of Op-Blue Freedom on 21 August 2019.

• This is an initiative in which a group of armed forces veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence.

• Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able bodied.

Indian hockey teams won Olympic Test event

• Both the Indian Women's and Men's hockey teams won the Olympic Test event in Tokyo on 21 August 2019.

• Women's team defeated Japan 2-1 in the finals. Navjot Kaur hit a goal at the 11th minute while Lalremsiami struck winning goal at 33rd minute of the game for India.

• Indian men's hockey team also won the Olympic Test event beating New Zealand 5-0.

Paytm strikes bumper new deal with BCCI

https://bit.ly/2mdJPmF


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• Paytm strikes bumper new deal with BCCI to continue association as India's title sponsors.

• In per match terms, BCCI will now get 3.8 crores per match from title rights as opposed to Rs 2.42 crores which Paytm was last paying them.

• BCCI awarded title sponsorship rights to Paytm for five more years.

• Previously, Star India got the rights at a heavy discount, 2 crore per match for 2013-14.

Sports News I

• The Ombudsman of the BCCI has ordered that S Sreesanth's ban for alleged spot-fixing will end in August 2020. The BCCI banned Sreesanth for life in August 2013 along with Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.

• Lee Duckhee became the first deaf player to win an ATP Tour main draw match. He defeated Henri Laaksonen 7-6(4) 6-1 in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Sports News II

• Sushil Kumar sealed his berth in the India squad for the World Championship defeating Jitender Kumar 4-2 in a 74 kg final here on 20 August 2019.

• The current fielding coach of the Indian team, R Sridhar, is all set to be reappointed to the position for the next 2 years. Recently, Ravi Shastri was reappointed as the team's coach till the end of T20 World Cup in 2021.

Satendra crossed America's Catalina Channel

• Divyang Satendra Singh Lohia from Madhya Pradesh has become the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America.

• Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.

• Satendra led the Indian Para Relay team along with five team mates and crossed the Catalina Channel in 11 hours 34 minutes.

Mumbai to host World Youth chess meet

• For the first time ever, India is to host the World Youth Chess Championship 2019.

• The All India Chess Federation (AICF) won the bid to conduct the World Youth and Junior Chess championships 2019 in the country.

• The championship will be held from 1-13 October 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• The championship aims to produce many young stars and aspire to take part in such world events.

Sports News I

• India finished its campaign at the World Junior Track Championship in Frankfurt with three medals, including two individual medals from Esow Alben.

• Three archers of the Assam Rifles archery team bagged five Gold, three Silver and one Bronze medals at the World

Police and Fire Games held in Chengdu, China. The team was trained by 9 Sector Assam Rifles.

Stand for Virat Kohli: DDCA

• The best age-group cricketers will be recognised and awarded by the Delhi and District Cricket Association on September 12, 2019.

• Virat Kohli will become the third cricketer from Delhi to have a stand named at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium after him, following Bishan Singh Bedi and Mohinder Amaranth.

• September 12 marks 11 years since he made his international debut.

Sports News II

• Former Tamil Nadu and South Zone all-rounder D Vasu was appointed head coach of the state senior cricket team. Vasu would be the head coach for the season 2019-2020, while former Tamil Nadu batsman R Prasanna would be the assistant coach.

• Aishwarya Pissay of TVS clinched the Fim Baja World Cup 2019 Women’s Category. She recently became the first Indian ever to win a world title in Motorsport.

Sports News III

• Former Chelsea, Arsenal and England football player Ashley Cole announced his retirement from football. He won 3 Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.

• Former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson has been elected as an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Johnson represented Australia in 153 One Day Internationals picking up 239 wickets.

Sports News IV

• India's junior women boxers clinched 12 medals at the third Nation's Cup in Vrbas, Serbia. The team won four gold, four silver and four bronze medals and claimed the runners-up trophy.

• Indian skipper Virat Kohli retained the top spot in the latest Test batsmen's rankings released by the International Cricket Council in Dubai. Australia's Steve Smith moved to the second position.

India won gold in Asian Tennis Team c'ship

• India won gold at the Under 12 Asian Tennis Team championship held in Kazakhstan.

• India defeated Chinese Taipei 2-1 in the summit clash to win the title.

• The final was a tie of three matches - 2 singles and one doubles and India won both the singles matches while lost the doubles encounter.

• The team comprised Manas Dhamme, Arnav Paprakar and Tamil Nadu's Pranav Rethin.

Sports News


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• In Badminton, BWF World Championships began on 19 August 2019 at Basel in Switzerland. Sai Praneeth B will clash with Jason Anthony Ho-Shue of Canada, while HS Prannoy will take on Finnish Eetu Antti Oskari Heino.

• Hima Das and Mohammad Anas won a gold each in 300m races at the Athleticky Mitink Reiter event in Czech Republic.This was Hima's 6th gold in 2019 in European races since last month.

Sports News

• India's Prithviraj Tondaiman shot a 47 on the first day qualifiers of the men's trap event in the International Shooting Sport Federation Shotgun World Cup in Lahiti, Finland. He was the best placed Indian at sixth.

• Wrestler Bajrang Punia has been nominated for the country's highest sporting honour - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. His name was finalised by a 12-member selection committee.

Liverpool won UEFA Super Cup

• Liverpool beat Chelsea 5-4 on penalties and won the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul,

• It is Liverpool’s 4th Super Cup victory, with their last coming in 2005 in Champions League triumph, also in Istanbul.

• They have now won 13 European trophies overall.

Virat Kohli: 1st batsman to score 20,000 runs

• Indian captain Virat Kohli has become the first batsman to score 20,000 international runs in a single decade.

• Kohli has aggregated 20,502 runs across three formats out of which he has scored 20,018 in the ongoing decade.

• Kohli made his Test and T20 Internationals debut in 2010. • He had already scored 484 runs in ODI cricket after making

his debut in 2008.

Deepak Punia became jr world wrestling champ

• Deepak Punia etched his name into the history of Indian sports by being the first Indian in 18 years to win a title at the Junior World Championships in Estonia.

• He won the final of the 86-kg junior freestyle category on 14 August 2019, beating Alik Shebzukhov of Russia.

• The final ended 2-2 on scores, but Deepak was awarded the bout as he had registered the last point-scoring move.

India won Physical Disability World Series

• India beat England by 36 runs to win Physical Disability World Series 2019.

• Ravindra Sante scored a quickfire half-century to star in India's victory.

• The Indian team defeated England by 36 runs. • The six-nation tournament was organized by the England

and Wales Cricket Board. • India posted a huge total of 180 runs on the board before

successfully defending it to win the game comfortably.

Simone Biles made history

• Simone Biles made history with a never-before-seen 'triple-double floor exercise landing.

• She performed the landing featuring two flips and three twists in U.S. Gymnastics Championships held in Kansas City.

• Biles already has a vault skill and a floor exercise maneuver named for her as their originator.

Sports News

• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has suspended Five Russian weightlifters, including a 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, provisionally after doping tests on samples recovered from the Moscow lab.

• A new sports policy was under consideration where every player would be supported by government. This policy will be introduced after consultations with various sports organisations.

Wesley Sneijder announced retirement

• The Netherlands' player Wesley Sneijder announced his retirement from football, bringing down the curtain on a trophy-laden career that spanned 17 years.

• He played 134 times for his country. • His displays earned him the Silver Ball for the

tournament's second best player behind Uruguay's Diego Forlan.

• He made his international debut in 2003 and picked up a World Cup runners-up medal in 2010.

Women's cricket to be part of CW Games

• Women's T20 Cricket has been confirmed for inclusion at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

• Eight teams will compete across eight match days. • Edgbaston will host all the matches. • The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in England

from 27th July to 7th August, 2022.

Bianca Andreescu won Rogers Cup 2019

• Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu wins Rogers Cup tennis tournament 2019 held in Toronto, Canada.

• She was the first Canadian to win the event in 50 years. • Serena Williams was the runner-up in the final. • Serena Williams retired with a back injury in the final

of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Sports News

• Aishwarya Pissay became the first Indian to claim a world title in motorsports, annexing the FIM World Cup in the women's category after the final round of the championship at Varpalota in Hungary.

• Novak Djokovic remained at the top of the ATP rankings, released on 12 August 2019. Roger Federer stayed third and Dominic Thiem fourth. Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped two places.


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Virat Kohli created record

• India captain Virat Kohli surpassed Pakistan great Javed Miandad to become the highest run-scorer against the West Indies in ODI cricket.

• He needed 19 runs before the start of the second ODI against the West Indies to surpass Miandad's tally of 1,930 runs against the two-time World Cup winners.

• Miandad took 64 innings to reach his tally while Kohli has taken just 34 innings to surpass that.

Chennai Lions beat Dabang Delhi to win UTT

• Chennai Lions won the Ultimate Table Tennis league on 11 August 2019.

• They defeated Dabang Delhi in the finals by 8-1. • Chennai Lions collected the winner’s share of Rs. 75 lakh

while Delhi settled for Rs. 50 lakh. • Petrissa Solja, Tiago Apolonia, Sharath Kamal and Petrissa

starred for the Chennai Lions. • Petrissa Solja and Portugal's Tiago Apolonia proved to be

the stars of the grand finale.

Sports News I

• Hockey India named 33 players for the junior men's national camp, beginning 12 August 2019 at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru.

• In Badminton, Indian junior shuttlers won six medals at the Bulgarian Junior International Championships which concluded in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria on 11 August 2019. The medals comprised of three gold, a silver and two bronze.

Sports News II

• Bajrang Punia defended his title at Tbilisi Grand Prix and Vinesh Phogat reached her fourth final at Medved event. Bajrang prevailed 2-0 over Iran's Peiman Bibyani in the 65 Kilogram category.

• In Badminton, Sourabh Verma clinched the Men's Singles title in the Hyderabad Open on 11 August 2019. He beat Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 in a 52-minute final clash.

PV Sindhu: Only Indian in Forbes List

• P.V. Sindhu is tied for 13th place in Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes.

• She is the only Indian and one of just three non-tennis athletes to be named in the list which is topped by American tennis great Serena Williams.

• She became the first Indian to win the season-ending BWF World Tour finals in 2018.

• Serena tops the list with total earnings of USD 29.2 million.

Sports

• Chess Surya Shekhar Ganguly won the Belt and Road China Hunan International tournament.

• South African spinner Colin Ackermann becomes the 1st player in T20 cricket history to claim a 7-wicket haul.

• Bangalore will host the 10th AASF Asian Age Group Championships 2019 from 24 September to 2 October 2019.

BCCI to come under the ambit of NADA

• The BCCI agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

• This decision makes it a sports federation as per government norms despite being financially autonomous.

• The implication of this development is expected to be massive as BCCI now becomes a designated National Sports Federation and will face more pressure to come under the government's Right to Information Act.

Sports News I

• The World Archery (WA) suspended the Archery Association of India (AAI) for defying its guidelines by electing two parallel bodies, asking the federation to put its house in order by the end of August 2019.

• South African batsman Hashim Amla retired from all international cricket with immediate effect. Amla played 124 Tests, 181 ODIs and 44 T20Is between in his 15-year-long cricketing career.

Sports News II

• Bangladesh will host Zimbabwe for a tri-nation 20-20 tournament in September despite the African nation being suspended by the International Cricket Council.

• In Boxing, veteran L. Sarita Devi (60kg) will be gunning for her first world championship medal in more than 10 years after she was named in India's 10-strong women's squad today along with five debutants.

Sports News I

• Rishabh Pant became the first Indian batsman to register two T20I half-centuries before turning 22. The wicketkeeper-batsman’s 42-ball 65 is also the highest by an Indian wicketkeeper in T20I cricket.

• The first match of the T20 series will always be remembered in which the Haryana-born Navdeep Saini took 2 wickets in his first over. In his four overs, he conceded 17 runs and took 3 wickets.

Sports News II

• Saudi Arabia will host the world’s richest horse race in Riyadh at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in 2020, with a purse of $20 million. It will have a maximum 14 runners, with the winner set to land $10 million.

• Naomi Osaka’s Grand Slam title wins at the U.S. and Australian Opens has put her up at 2nd, behind Serena Williams, in Forbes’ list of the highest-paid female athletes over 2018.

Mary, Lovlina selected for world boxing C'ship


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• M C Mary Kom and Lovlina Borgohain have been selected for the upcoming women's world boxing championships based on their recent performances.

• Mary Kom, who has already claimed two gold medals in 2019 in India Open and in Indonesia, has been selected in the 51kg category.

• Lovlina will be competing in the 69kg category. • The world championships are scheduled from October 3 -

13, 2019 in Russia.

Sports News

• Fiona Kolbinger won the mixed annual 4,000km cycling Transcontinental Race in France. She became the 1st woman to win one of the world’s toughest cycling races.

• Ravichandran Ashwin was named as Professional Cricketers Association’s Player of the month of July 2019. He hit 197 runs and picked up 23 wickets from just 3 matches for Nottinghamshire.

Rankireddy-Shetty jumped 7 spots in badminton

• In Badminton, Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty jumped 7 places to enter the top 10 of the latest world rankings.

• This follows their historic win at last week's Thailand Open. They are placed ninth in the doubles rankings.

• In the women's singles rankings, Olympic medallists P V Sindhu managed to hold on to her fifth place and Saina Nehwal the eighth spot.

India topped latest ICC Test rankings

• India topped the latest ICC Test team rankings while New Zealand is placed 2nd and South Africa is in 3rd position.

• India skipper Virat Kohli retains his number one position in the latest ICC Test batsmen’s rankings.

• In rankings for Test all-rounders, Jason Holder of the West Indies tops the list while Ravindra Jadeja is placed 3rd and Ravichandran Ashwin is in sixth place.

Mahesh Bhupathi named captain for Davis Cup

• All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced Mahesh Bhupathi as the skipper for the India-Pakistan Davis Cup tie.

• It will be held on September 14 and 15, 2019 in Islamabad. • Six players have been named by the association, who will

be taking part in Davis Cup. • Mukund has been named as the reserve and Zeeshan Ali

will be the coach of the team.

Hinako Shibuno won Women’s British Open

• Hinako Shibuno of Japan won the Women’s British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas on 4 August 2019.

• She played for the first time outside of her country and birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.

• Morgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of former leader Ashleigh Buhai (70).

Virat, Rohit broke records

• Rohit Sharma became the most prolific six-hitter in T20 Internationals while Virat Kohli attained pole position among Indians.

• Rohit hit three maximums on his way to a 51-ball 67 in the second T20 International against West Indies.

• On the way to his 28 off 23 balls, Kohli bettered Suresh Raina's record to become the highest run-getter among Indians in T20 cricket.

Sports News

• Vinesh Phogat bagged gold in women's 53kg category of the Poland Open wrestling tournament in Warsaw.

• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became the first Indian pair to win a BWF Super 500 badminton tournament.

• Formula One Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton hunted down Max Verstappen to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for a record-extending seventh time.

Indian boxers end their campaign with 6 medals

• Indian boxers have ended their campaign at the Magomed Salam Umakhanov Memorial International Boxing Tournament in Kaspiysk, Russia with a rich haul of six medals.

• These comprised two gold, one silver and three bronze. • World Championships bronze-medallist, Lovlina Borgohain

(69kg) and India Open gold-medallist champion Neeraj (57kg), clinched gold medals.

Sports

• Soccer body CONMEBOL suspended Lionel Messi from international matches for three months because of accusations of corruption he made at the latest Copa America. He was also fined USD 50,000 for his comments.

• In the ongoing World Cadet Wrestling competition in Sofia, Bulgaria, Indian wrestler Sonam Malik won Gold in 65kg category; She beat Binbin Xiang 7-1 in the final.

Sports News

• At the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Russia, India was handed a bronze medal upgrade. The Indian team of KT Infra, Babubhai Panucha and Surinder Singh had finished 4th in the men's 20 km team event in May 2012.

• In Shooting, Adarsh Singh won the gold medal in both men and junior 25 metres rapid fire pistol event in the Sardar Sajjan Singh Sethi Memorial Masters competition.

Sports News

• In Shooting, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar clinched a gold medal in Men's Rifle 3 Positions (3P) at 12th Sardar Sajjan


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Singh Sethi Memorial Masters competition in New Delhi on 1 August 2019.

• Football Giant East Bengal Club turned 100 years on 1 August 2019. On this day in 1920 East Bengal Club was established at Kumartuli Park in North Kolkata.

Defence India's NDC delegation visits Nepal

• A delegation from the 59th course of National Defence College (NDC) India comprising 15 senior officers from civil services and defence forces of India, UK, Japan, Mongolia and Bangladesh visited Nepal.

• The delegation was briefed about various functions of the Nepali Army during its visit to Nepali Army headquarters. The team also visited Western Division Headquarters at Pokhara.

Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat visited Srinagar

• Army Chief General Bipin Rawat visited Srinagar on 30 August 2019.

• He will review the security situation and preparedness of security forces in the Kashmir valley.

• This is the first visit of Gen Rawat to the valley after the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

• Authorities have restored mobile phone services in five sensitive districts of Jammu region.

Military Veterans Employment programme

• Amazon India has launched a Military Veterans Employment programme in the country.

• This programme will create employment opportunities for military veterans and their spouses across the company’s fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery centres in India.

• It is partnering with the office of the Director-General of Resettlement (DGR) and the Army Welfare Placement Organisation (AWPO).

Indian Army established 45 Army schools

• As a part of this goodwill initiative, the Indian Army has established 45 Army Goodwill schools in J&K wherein over 14 thousand students are studying at present.

• Children belonging to low-income group families are given admission for pursuing their studies free of cost in these schools.

• The Goodwill Schools are also providing employment to qualified youth of the State.

BS Dhanoa embarked on 3-day visit to Thailand

• Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa embarked on a three-day visit to Thailand on 26 August 2019.

• During his visit, he will attend the Indo Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Bangkok.

• The conference will provide perspectives on common challenges faced by attending nations.

• The theme for the conference is Collaboration in a free and Open Indo - Pacific.

India to receive first Rafale jet on Sept 20

• Rafale is set to handover its first fighter jet built for the Indian Air Force.

• Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in France on September 20 to receive the first Rafale jet manufactured for the Indian Air Force.

• The Indian Air Force will deploy one each squadron of the Rafale combat aircraft at its airbases in Ambala in Haryana and Hashimara in Bengal.

DRDO hands over design of Mobile Metallic Ramp

• DRDO handed over the design of Mobile Metallic Ramp (MMR) to the Indian Army on 20 August 2019.

• With load bearing capacity of 70 metric ton (MT), the MMR has been designed and developed by Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) on the requirements projected by Army.

• The ramp will provide the strategic mobility for Armoured and Mechanized units and formations of the Army.

Navy to host multi-lateral exercise in Vizag

• The Indian Navy would be hosting 'MILAN', a multilateral naval exercise, in Visakhapatnam in March 2020.

• The MILAN series of biennial exercises, which commenced in 1995 and conducted at Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)until last year, was being conducted for the first time on the mainland at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

Eastern Air Command Commanders' Conclave began

• A 2-day Commanders Conclave of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) was inaugurated by Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa on 16 August 2019 at HQ EAC in Upper Shillong.

• He discussed the prevailing security scenario and emphasised on the need for all air warriors to remain ever vigilant.

• He also conveyed appreciation on successful completion of various exercises conducted by HQ EAC.

INS Tarkash participated in Konkan Bilat Ex

• The 14th Edition of KONKAN series of annual bilateral exercises between Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Britain is currently underway off the South Coast of UK.

• INS Tarkash is exercising with the Royal Navy's Daring Class Destroyer, HMS Defender with integral helicopter Wildcat.

• KONKAN-19 will involve Gunnery Shoots, Manoeuvres, Cross Deck Flying, ASW Screening and Air Defence exercise.

Indian Army continues to lead in Scouts Comp


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• Indian Army team continued its outstanding performance and has come first amongst 8 teams in Stage IV of the ongoing International Army Scout Masters Competition held in Jaisalmer.

• Stage IV of the competition primarily included Timed Reflex Shooting, Breaching of the Mine Field and checking of Close Quarter Battle capability of all the teams under simulated battle field conditions.

Chief of defence staff post to be created

• PM Narendra Modi announced the government would create the post of a chief of defence staff (CDS).

• It will integrate the operations of the three forces--the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

• The CDS was to be a five-star rank general – a rank above the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.

• Speculation is that army chief Bipin Rawat, could be named to the post.

Motorcycle Expedition from Dras to Pune

• An Adventure Bike Expedition was undertaken from Dras on 26 July, 2019.

• The expedition comprising of 2 Officers and 11 other ranks of Bombay Sappers after traversing approx 2000kms had reached Delhi on 11 Aug 2019.

• On 13 Aug 2019 the Team was flagged off by the Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen D Anbu.

• The rally will be flagged in at Pune, Bombay Engineer Group Centre on 21 Aug 2019.

Japanese Self Defence Ship visited Kochi

• A missile destroyer, JS Sazanami of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), is on a two-day goodwill visit to Kochi from 13 August 2019.

• During the stay at Kochi, various activities such as visit of IN personnel onboard JS Sazanami and professional interaction between the two navies were conducted.

• JS Sazanami is planned to depart for Bahrain on 14 August 2019.

Army launched 'Mission Reach Out' in Jammu

• The Army launched Mission Reach Out in Jammu to ensure that basic necessities and essential services are available in the region post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.

• A high level conference to review the prevalent situation in the region was held in the Nagrota Military Station, which was chaired by Lt Gen Paramjit Singh.

INS Tarkash at Bergen, Norway

• Indian Naval Ship Tarkash, entered the port of Bergen, Norway on 9 Aug 2019 for a 3-day visit as part of Western Fleet Overseas Deployment 01/ 2019.

• The ship is part of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet and is under the operational Command of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief/ Western Naval Command.

• The port call by Tarkash at Bergen is a demonstration of India's warm ties with Norway.

Indian Army team 1st in Stage 1 of AISMC

• Indian Army team secured 1st position followed by Kazakhstan & Russian Army teams in Stage 1 of the ongoing International Army Scout Masters Competition at Jaisalmer Military Station.

• A total of 7 teams from friendly foreign nations-Armenia, Belarus, China, Uzbekistan, Russia, Sudan, Kazakhstan are participating.

• Indian Army is participating in the competition for the first time as hosts.

Rajnath Singh chaired Roundtable

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the Make in India in Defence Industry Roundtable on 9 August 2019 in New Delhi.

• It was organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence (MoD).

• It aims to explore ways to attract investment, address the concerns of the industry and promote innovations in Defence sector.

• The MoD has taken several steps to promote FDI in this sector.

DAC approved procurement of indigenous SDR

• Defence Acquisition Council approved procurement of indigenous Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Batteries for the Indian Navy.

• The SDR is a complex and state of art communication system which will enable information sharing.

• The Batteries will be fitted with supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface cruise missiles and would be deployed along the coast.

India to participate at SCO exercise in Russia

• Indian army will participate in an anti-terrorism military exercise in Russia.

• The exercise, an initiative under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, is to be held from September 10 to September 21 at Orenburg in Russia.

• This year, Russia has asked Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Iran to send their troops as special guests to take part in the anti-terrorism military exercise.

Int. Army Scout Masters Competition began

• The fifth edition of International Army Scout Masters Competition was kicked off in Jaisalmer on 5 August 2019.


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• A total of 8 countries comprising of China, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sudan are participating in the event including the Indian Army team.

• The event commenced on August 5 and will continue till August 16, 2019.

India test-fired SAR from Chandipur

• India successfully test-fired its all weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) at Chandipur in Odisha on 4 August 2019.

• It was the second developmental trial of the missile in this year from the same test range.

• QR-SAM system can engage multiple targets within a range of around 25 to 30 km with two vehicle configuration for area air defence.

Army launched E-car to combat pollution

• The Indian Army has launched an ecological initiative with employing E Cars for use of its officials in New Delhi in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL).

• The introduction of E-Car in Army at Delhi was visualised on World Environment Day and launched on 01 Aug 2019 with flagging off the first lot of E-Cars for Indian Army by QMG, Lt Gen Gopal R.

Spanish ship Mendez Nunez visited Goa

• Spanish Navy Ship Mendez Nunez arrived at Mormugao Port, Goa on 1 August 2019.

• A number of activities between Indian Navy and the Spanish warship are planned during the ship's three-day stay at Goa.

• Mendez Nunez, with pennant number F-104, is a Multipurpose Frigate in service with Spanish Navy.

• A Seahawk Lamps III helicopter is also carried onboard.

Polity Consumer Protection Bill passed

• Parliament passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, with the Rajya Sabah approving it on 7 August 2019.

• The bill aims at protecting the interests of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ dispute.

• It has a provision to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.

Rajasthan Assembly passed bills

• Rajasthan legislative assembly passed two important bills to curb honour killings and Mob Lynching in the state on 6 August 2019.

• 'The Rajasthan Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019' and ‘The Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill, 2019’ was passed by the assembly with a voice vote.

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill passed

• The Upper House passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019 by voice vote.

• The Bill seeks to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory with the legislature and Ladakh Union Territory without legislature.

• The government also announced the repealing of Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019.

Transgender Persons Bill passed

• Lok Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

• The Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to education, employment, healthcare, etc.

• The Bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth.

Bills passed

• Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 that prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy. It will prevent exploitation of surrogate mothers and children born out of surrogacy.

• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha. It proposes an increase in number of judges in SC from 30 to 33 excluding the Chief Justice of India.

AERA Bill passed

• Parliament has passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India, AERA (Amendment) Bill- 2019.

• The bill increases the threshold of annual passenger traffic for major airports from 15 lakh to over 35 lakh passengers.

• The threshold has been increased as the number of air traffic passenger has been increased 117 million from 2008 to 345 million now.

Bills passed

• Rajya Sabha passed The Code on Wages Bill, 2019 on 2 August 2019. It will ensure statutory protection for minimum wages and timely payment of wages to approximately 50 crore workers of organized as well as unorganized sector.

• Rajya Sabha passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019. It gives powers to DG, NIA to attach properties acquired from proceeds of terrorism.

NIA (Amendment) Act came into force

• National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019 has come into force on 2 August 2019.

• Parliament had approved the bill giving more powers to NIA on 17th July 2019.

• The act aims at enhancing the jurisdiction of National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate scheduled


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offences committed outside India targeting Indians as well as Indian assets abroad.

• The NIA was set up in 2009.

Bills passed

• Parliament passed the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2019 with the Lok Sabha approving it on 1 August 2019. The bill provides for a time-bound settlement of disputes as well as accountability of the arbitrator.

• The Rajya Sabha passed the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019 with few amendments. The Bill seeks to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.

POCSO (Amendment) Bill approved

• Parliament passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, POCSO, 2019 with the Lok Sabha approving it unanimously.

• The Rajya Sabha has already passed the bill. • The bill seeks to enhance punishment for sexual offences

against children, with a provision of death penalty. • Sexual harassment is covered under POCSO.

Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill passed

• The Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 with some amendments.

• The bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide for road safety.

• Provisions related to increasing penalties of traffic violations, addressing issues on third-party insurance, regulation of cab aggregators and road safety are proposed in the amendment.

National Affairs

Call for expansion of aquaculture sector

• Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called for expansion of India's aquaculture sector through diversification, value addition and penetration in the hinterland and non-coastal states.

• He addressed the fifth edition of Aqua Aquaria India (AAI) recently.

• During 2018-19, India exported 14,37,445 tonnes of seafood worth $6.8 billion. The US is the major market followed by the European Union.

Delhi cabinet approved free travel for women

• The Delhi cabinet approved free travel for women in buses in the national capital.

• The scheme, announced by chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, will be effective 29 October 2019.

• There will be a single-journey pass issued by the conductor for women travellers.

• The scheme is voluntary and women travelers can choose to not avail the plan.

Air India to ban single-use plastic

• Air India, India’s national airline, will ban the usage of single-use plastic aboard its flights from October 2, 2019.

• The ban will come into effect on all flights of Air India Express and Alliance Air flights.

• Air India will replace plastic teacups and tumblers with sturdy paper cups and tumblers.

• Chairman and MD of Air India Ltd: Ashwani Lohani.

Lifeline Express inaugurated at CSMT, Mumbai

• The Lifeline Express, also known as Hospital on Wheels, was inaugurated at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus by the Central Railway (CR) for its latest project, which involves providing medical treatment to poor patients.

• The train will now move to Sahibganj in Jharkhand from Mumbai for its next project.

• The Indian Railways had launched the Lifeline Express on July 16, 1991.

Govt announced mega merger of pub. sec. banks

• The government has announced the merger of ten public sector banks into four banks.

• It announced the merger of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank with Punjab National Bank as well as the merger of Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.

• The merger of Union Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank and the consolidation of Indian Bank with Allahabad Bank was also announced.

Government to set up 12,500 AYUSH centres

• The government has set a target of setting up 12,500 AYUSH centres across India.

• The government is trying to set up 4000 such centres this year itself.

• 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres are being opened across the country.

• During a ceremony held recently, PM Modi released 12 commemorative postal stamps to honour eminent scholars, practitioners and Great Master Healers of AYUSH Systems.

CBDT constituted special cell

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes -CBDT has constituted a five-member special cell to address grievances of start-ups with relation to angel tax and other tax-related issues.

• The cell will work towards redressal of grievances and mitigate tax-related issues in case of start-up entities with respect to the administration of Income-tax Act,1961.

Rare tarantula sighted in Villupuram district

• Researchers sighted a critically endangered species of tarantula for the first time beyond its known habitat in the Eastern Ghats.


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• The spider belonging to the genus Poecilotheria is commonly known as the Peacock Parachute Spider or Gooty Tarantula.

• It was spotted by a team of researchers of Indigenous Biodiversity Foundation (IBF) in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests in Villupuram district.

Gorewada Int. Zoo to be set up at Nagpur

• The Government planned to establish an International Standard Zoo and Biopark on the forest land at Gorewada, Nagpur.

• The main aim is to protect forests. • The Zoo will have attractions like Bio Park, Indian Safari,

African Safari, Night Safari, Research, Education and Training, facilities for tourists.

• The Government agreed to provide Viability Gap Funding (V.G.F) of Rs. 200 crore for it.

Dindigul lock, Kandangi saree got GI tag

• Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul locks and Kandangi sarees have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

• The famous Dindigul locks are known throughout the world for their superior quality and durability, that's why the city is called Lock City.

• The hand-woven Kandangi sarees also have a 150-year-old tradition, and its history is related to the business community of Chettiars.

India launched world’s first ever facial BSID

• India became the first country in the world to issue Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID), capturing the facial biometric data of seafarers.

• The new facial biometric technology is a marked improvement over the two-finger or iris-based bio-metric data, with modern security features.

• The project was taken up in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).

Air India to be privatized

• The government is determined for the privatization of Air India and people are interested in buying it.

• Total privatization will be done in the shortest possible time and with the best deal.

• A web portal was launched recently. • Aviationjobs brings together job seekers and prospective

employers in the Indian civil aviation sector.

Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat visited Srinagar

• Army Chief General Bipin Rawat visited Srinagar on 30 August 2019.

• He will review the security situation and preparedness of security forces in the Kashmir valley.

• This is the first visit of Gen Rawat to the valley after the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

• Authorities have restored mobile phone services in five sensitive districts of Jammu region.

‘Walk to work’ campaign in Meghalaya launched

• Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma launched the campaign of Fit India Movement on 29 August 2019.

• He launched the #WalktoWorkMeghalaya which is a part of the ‘Fit India Campaign’.

• The idea of 'walk to work' will have multiple benefits, cuts the cost of fuel including reduction of CO2 emission, reduce congestion in the city and more importantly for health and fitness.

Rs 47,000 cr released to increase green cover

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar handed over Rs 47,000 crore from Compensatory Afforestation Fund to various states.

• This was done as a major step towards increasing afforestation in the country.

• The fund will be utilized for the compensatory afforestation, catchment area treatment, wildlife management, natural regeneration, etc.

Establishment of CDRI approved

• The Union Cabinet approved the Establishment of an International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) along with its supporting Secretariat Office in New Delhi.


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• The proposal was approved by the Prime Minister on 13th August 2019.

• The CDRI is proposed to be launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, USA on 23rd September 2019.

Indian Bank opened MSME processing centre

• Indian Bank has opened MSME CPC (centralised processing centre) in Chennai.

• The centralised processing centre will give a boost to the bank’s MSME portfolio and will lead to speedy disposal of micro, small and medium enterprises’ loans.

• The bank has also deployed skilled manpower in the CPC to improve credit quality and shorten transaction processing time.

Astra Rafael opened facility

• An Indo-Israel joint venture’s Astra Rafael Communication System was inaugurated in Hyderabad.

• The system will design, develop and manufacture tactical communication systems for Indian armed forces.

• The Joint Venture between Astra Microwave and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has become India’s first private sector firm to manufacture software-defined radios in multiple variants.

NOAPS-single window clearing system launched

• The Minister of State for Culture & Tourism launched an integrated NOC online Application Processing System for National Monuments Authority in New Delhi.

• This will help in online processing of applications requesting NOC for construction-related work in the prohibited and regulated area of ASI protected monuments.

• 6 new states will be part of it including MP, Haryana, Punjab, and Telangana.

ONGC CMD honoured with Distinguished F'ship

• ONGC CMD Shashi Shanker was honoured with the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors (IOD) 2019.

• He was honoured during the 29th Institute of Directors (IOD) Annual Day Ceremony for his distinguished contribution to business and society.

• The theme of this year’s IOD Annual Day Ceremony was ‘Future Boards: Leading Strategy to Embrace Sustainability’.

Govt permitted 100% FDI in coal mining

• The Union Cabinet relaxed Foreign Direct Investment rule for foreign single-brand retailers and permitted foreign investment in contract manufacturing and coal mining.

• 100% FDI under automatic route in coal mining and associated infrastructure has been approved.

• 26% FDI has also been allowed under government route for uploading and streaming of News and Current Affairs through Digital Media.

Vigyan Mela in Ladakh inaugurated

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Ladakh to inaugurate a Vigyan Mela on 29 August 2019.

• It will showcase crops and grains suitable for growing in high altitude areas.

• His visit to Ladakh was his first to the UT after it was carved out from the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

• He inaugurated the 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela at Defence Institute Of High Altitude Research( DIHAR).

National Sports Day: 29 August

• National Sports Day 2019 is being celebrated on 29 August across India.

• It marks the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, who was born on August 29 in the year 1905.

• The day is observed every year to spread awareness about the importance of sports and games in the life of every individual.

• 29 August was proclaimed as the country’s National Sports Day in 2012.

PM Modi launched Fit India Movement

• PM Narendra Modi launched a nation-wide Fit India Movement on the occasion of National Sports Day on 29 August 2019.

• The campaign is aimed at encouraging people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their day to day life.

• President Ramnath Kovind gave away the national sports awards in New Delhi.

• Bajrang Punia and Deepa Malik were conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

J&K Governor announced 50,000 govt jobs

• J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik announced that in coming 2-3 months, about 50,000 government jobs will be provided to the youths of the State.

• The Administration is opening mobile phone connectivity in Kupwara and Handwara districts of Kashmir and soon it will be opened in other districts as well.

• 50 more degree colleges will be set up in the state.

National Affairs I

• Leh District Deputy Commissioner, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, launched Rotavirus vaccine on 28 August 2019. Rotavirus is one of the cause of Diarrhoea in infants.

• 200 Foreigners Tribunals will become functional from 1st of September 2019 in Assam. If someone's name doesn't appear in the NRC, he or she can appeal before the Foreigners Tribunals.

National Affairs II


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• The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 75 new Medical Colleges by 2021-22. The move will add 15,700 more MBBS seats in the country.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the first fleet of eco-friendly electric buses in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 29 August 2019. He also inaugurated the country's first automated battery charging and swapping station for e-buses in Ahmedabad.

India to host UNCCD COP-14

• India will host 14th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification between 2-13 September 2019.

• The government aims the restoration of 50 lakh hectares of land in next 10 years.

• The conference of Parties will focus on desertification and degradation of land.

• Over 3000 representatives from over 200 countries will participate in it.

All villages to be linked with Wi-Fi

• The Government reiterated its commitment in providing Wi-Fi in all the villages through GramNet with connectivity between 10mbps to 100 mbps speed.

• BharatNet also plans to provide 1 GBPS connectivity, which can be expanded up to 10 GBPS and C-DOT’s XGS-PON will help in a great way to achieve this.

• C-Sat-Fi technology of C-DOT will empower Indian People especially in rural and remote areas.

IRCTC has came up with a new scheme

• Indian Railways' ticketing and catering arm IRCTC has come up with a new scheme for passengers.

• If Tejas Express (IRCTC has bagged the rights to run the train) is late by more than hour then passengers may be eligible for compensation.

• IRCTC is planning to start the first of the two trains from Delhi to Lucknow from October 2019.

• The ticket prices will be in the line of Shatabdi Express.

Commencement of 10th CGD bidding round

• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the commencement of work for 10th City Gas Distribution (CGD) bidding round.

• It will cover 50 Geographical Areas (GAs) in 124 districts. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the 10th CGD

bidding Round on 22 November 2018. • 2.02 crore PNG domestic connections will be provided and

3578 CNG stations will open.

Canara Bank launched OTP facility

• Public sector lender Canara Bank has launched the first OTP facility for ATM withdrawals.

• In order to offer a more secured and safe system, Canara bank will activate OTP facility for cash withdrawals of Rs 10,000 or more in a day.

• This move is in line with banks trying to take security measures to safeguard customers who use debit cards to withdraw cash at ATMs.

Mobile application- Janaushadhi Sugam launched

• Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, D.V. Sadananda Gowda launched a mobile application Janaushadhi Sugam.

• He also announced that Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin will now be available at only One Rupee per pad.

• The Janaushadhi Sugam will enable people to search Janaushadhi generic medicines and the stores at the tip of their fingers.

Indore set a record

• After holding the top position in Swachhata Abhiyan since the last 3 years, the citizens of Indore have taken a rapid step to become number one in Jal Shakti Abhiyan too.

• A record has been set by installing 1500 water harvesting system in a day in Indore Municipal Corporation area.

• Water harvesting system capsules are being given free of cost under CSR on first come first serve basis.

Feroz Shah Stadium to now be Arun Jaitley St.

• Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi will be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium in memory of its former president who passed recently.

• The renaming will take place on 12 September 2019 at a function where a stand at the Stadium will also be named after India captain Virat Kohli.

• Though the Stadium will be named Arun Jaitley Stadium, the name of the ground will remain as Ferozeshah Kotla Ground.

Microsoft to train government employees on AI

• Microsoft India launched a program under which it will train 5000 government employees over the next year on AI and cloud computing skills.

• The program, called ‘Digital Governance Tech Tour’, will comprise of physical and virtual workshops.

• The program will be open for technocrats and IT professionals across the government, including employees of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

IIP set up plant to turn plastic into diesel

• Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and CM of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated a waste plastics to diesel plant in Dehradun.

• The plant has been set up in the Indian Institute of Petroleum whose scientists will process waste plastics into fuel.


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• It has the capacity to produce 800-litre diesel from one tonne of plastic.

Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Toy Bank classes

• Union Minister Prakash Javadekar congratulated the "THE TOY BANK" on completion of its 5000 centers in the country.

• 'A world where all children are empowered through healthy play' is the motto of "THE TOY BANK".

• Union Minister Praksash Javadekar inaugurated the classes.

• 'The Toy Bank' director - Vidyun Goyal.

Military Veterans Employment programme

• Amazon India has launched a Military Veterans Employment programme in the country.

• This programme will create employment opportunities for military veterans and their spouses across the company’s fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery centres in India.

• It is partnering with the office of the Director-General of Resettlement (DGR) and the Army Welfare Placement Organisation (AWPO).

National Digital Library of India launched

• HRD Ministry has launched the National Digital Library of India project.

• It has been launched under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, NMEICT.

• Currently, there are more than 3 crore digital resources available through the National Digital Library.

• National Digital Library is also integrated with UMANG App.

Integrated Texti. Tourism Complex in Meghalaya

• In Meghalaya, the Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani laid the foundation stone of the Integrated Textiles Tourism Complex at Nongpoh, Ri Bhoi district.

• She also announced that under the ‘Samarth’ scheme which plans to skill 7,200 youth in apparel and garments, textiles and handloom sectors has now been extended, after the request of the Chief Minister.

TN: Edu. Dept launched TV channel for students

• The Education Department in Tamil Nadu has launched an exclusive 24-hour television channel for the school students.

• Interviews and motivational programmes on joining civil services, defence forces and banks would be aired by the television as a form of career guidance.

• It was launched by the state Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy at a function in Chennai.

Indian Army established 45 Army schools

• As a part of this goodwill initiative, the Indian Army has established 45 Army Goodwill schools in J&K wherein over 14 thousand students are studying at present.

• Children belonging to low-income group families are given admission for pursuing their studies free of cost in these schools.

• The Goodwill Schools are also providing employment to qualified youth of the State.

Miscellaneous

• A bus service between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and India's Siliguri in West Bengal has started. The 44-seater air-conditioned deluxe bus will complete 650 Kilometre-journey between Kathmandu and Siliguri in 18 hours.

• There has been more than 80% decline in new HIV infection cases in the country since its peak in 1995. The global average of decline in new infection is estimated at 47%.

5 lakh local water conserv. infra. developed

• Over 3 crore 70 lakh people have joined the nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

• The government had launched the ambitious initiative on 1 July 2019 to enhance water security, especially in water-stressed districts.

• During the past two months, the initiative has delivered over five lakh local water conservation infrastructures in 256 districts.

7th Community Radio Sammelan began

• The 7th Community Radio Sammelan began in New Delhi on 27 August 2019.

• The three-day Sammelan, being organized by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will witness participation of all operational Community Radio Stations across the country.

• The theme of this year’s event is Community Radio for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

India to have 10,000 CNG stations in 5 years

• India will have 10,000 CNG stations in the next 5 years. • By 2050, India's incremental energy needs will be primarily

met by CNG. • India is the 3rd largest energy consumer of the world and

will become top consumer in a decade. • The present share of gas in the energy mix in the country is

6.2% compared to 24% globally and the aim is to increase share of natural gas to 15% by 2030.

Bandhan Bank launched co-branded credit card

• Bandhan Bank launched a co-branded credit card in association with Standard Chartered bank.

• This credit card would be offered to 40 lakh savings bank account holders across the 1,000 branches of Bandhan Bank.


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• As part of the tie-up, while Standard Chartered bank will take the credit risk, Bandhan Bank will be responsible for identifying and issuing cards to its customers.

SRK launched heritage postal stamp

• Shah Rukh Khan launched heritage postal stamp of Bandra station on the completion of 150 years of the railway station.

• He urged the people present at the launching event to use the postal stamps instead of online texting.

• Ashish Shelar, Minister of School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare of Maharashtra was also present at the Bandra station.

2 lakh bio-toilets installed in train coaches

• Over 2 lakh bio-toilets have been installed in 60,906 train coaches of Indian Railways.

• The 'Bio-Toilet project' of Indian Railways is an innovative and indigenous development of technology.

• The technology for Bio-toilets have been innovated, designed and is 'Made in India'.

• It has been developed jointly by Indian Railways' Engineers & DRDO's scientists.

Sept. to be celebrated as a month of nutrition

• PM Narendra Modi announced to celebrate September as a month of nutrition.

• In his Mann Ki Baat programme, he laid emphasis on creating awareness to fight malnutrition among children, particularly the girl child.

• Gujarat Government launched a pilot project, Poshan Abhiyan, last year, which is a statewide mission to eradicate malnutrition among children.

CVC constituted panel to examine bank fraud

• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) to examine bank fraud of over 50 crore rupees and recommend action.

• The panel was previously known as the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.

• The ABBF headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin has been formed in consultation with the RBI.

Nicotine is now a class A poison in Karnataka

• The Karnataka government has amended the Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules 2015, notifying nicotine as Class A poison under the rules.

• This will strengthen the enforcement of the ban on production and sale of electronic cigarettes.

• Highly toxic chemicals, which even in very small quantities as gas or vapour in the air are dangerous to life are notified under Class A.

National Food Laboratory of FSSAI inaugurated

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated FSSAI's National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad on the occasion of 13th anniversary of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

• The lab is a result of a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), the first-of-its-kind in the food laboratory sector.

• It houses the Food Safety Solution Centre and the Centre for Microbiological Analysis Training (C-MAT).

Composite Water Management Index 2.0 Report

• NITI Aayog has prepared the second Round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0).

• The Report was launched on 23 August 2019 by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti.

• The CWMI is an important tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ Union Territories in efficient management of water resources.

• CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18.

Jaipur Hunar Haat organised

• Jaipur is organising the Hunar Haat from 24 August 2019. • This will be the first Hunar Haat of the Government. • Earlier, lakhs of artisans and craftsmen have been

provided employment and employment opportunities through more than a dozen Hunar Haat in last 3 years.

• More than 200 master artisans and culinary experts including a large number of women artisans participated in it.

Dr Jitendra Singh presented ANUBHAV awards

• The Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Jitendra Singh presented the ANUBHAV Awards, 2019.

• The Anubhav portal was created in 2015 with a vision to preserve rich experience of retired official in digital form.

• He also inaugurated the All India Pension Adalat organised on the occasion.

First World Youth Conf on Kindness inaugurated

• President Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the first World Youth Conference on Kindness in New Delhi on 23 August 2019.

• The first World Youth Conference on Kindness is being organised by the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

• The aim is to impart critical competencies in global youth to inspire them.

Modernized AOPC inaugurated

• Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the ‘Renovated ALIMCO Orthotics and Prosthetic Centre (AOPC) and Residential complex building of ALIMCO Headquarters at Kanpur.


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• The concept of Make in India is beginning to take shape in the precincts of ALIMCO, Kanpur.

• Two of the Projects under the modernization plan of ALIMCO have been completed.

India to launch Bharatcraft for MSMEs

• Union Government is planning to launch an e-commerce portal named Bharatcraft for MSME’s.

• The portal is based on other e-commerce portals like ‘Alibaba’ and ‘Amazon’.

• The portal will provide a platform for MSMEs to market and sell their products and in turn boost the sector.

• The Bharatcraft portal has a huge potential to generate revenue worth ₹10 lakh crore in next 2-3 years.

Bihar government to ban single use of plastic

• Bihar government has taken several measures following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to ban single use of plastic.

• The government has banned single-use carry bags throughout the state.

• Licence of those factories has been cancelled who produces single-use of carry bag.

• Milk co-operative federations have been asked to collect milk pouch from customers for recycling.

Centre announced series of measures

• The government has unveiled a series of measures to achieve higher economic growth.

• It has withdrawn enhanced surcharge on Foreign Portfolios Investors FPIs, restoring the pre-budget position.

• Surcharge on domestic investors in equity markets has also been withdrawn.

• The government has also decided to withdraw angel tax provisions for startups and their investors.

Nitin Gadkari launched new website for MoRTH

• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari launched New website of the Ministry of Road Transports and Highways in Delhi.

• The revamped website will be important to share critical information about the ministry and its policies.

• The 63 clauses of Motor Vehicle Act will be implemented from September 1 in which penalties will be increased in cases of drunken driving, over speeding and overloading.

Union HRD Minister launched NISHTHA

• Union HRD Minister launched the training programme NISHTHA, (National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement) to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level across the country.

• This is the largest teachers training programme of its kind in the world.

• The basic objective of it is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.

Super 50 programme launched in Maharashtra

• Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic programme Super 50.

• The programme has been launched for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers.

• The Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and medical exams.

Amazon’s largest campus inaugurated in Hyd.

• Amazon has opened its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad.

• The campus covers 1.8 million square feet and can accommodate 15,000 workers.

• This is Amazon’s first owned-building outside of the US and is also its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees.

• Telangana is home to one-third of Amazon’s total Indian employees.

5th UIDAI Aadhaar Seva Kendra operational

• Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) 5th stand-alone Aadhaar Seva Kendra has become operational at Hisar in Haryana.

• Till now, four Aadhaar Seva Kendras are operational and three more will become operational by next week.

• This is part of the UIDAI’s plan to open 114 such centres in 53 cities across the country for providing hassle-free Aadhaar enrollment and services.

R K Singh approved a proposal

• Minister of New and Renewable Energy R K Singh approved a proposal to declare ocean energy as Renewable Energy.

• The decision will give a boost to ocean energy in the country.

• He has also clarified to all stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion will be considered as Renewable Energy.

24th meeting of Western Zonal Council held

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the 24th meeting of Western Zonal Council at Panaji in Goa on 22 August 2019.

• It is a forum for the Centre and states to exchange ideas on issues like health, security and social welfare.

• Modalities for allocation of surplus land of Central Government for housing for poor, utilisation of funds for police modernisation, etc. were discussed in the meeting.


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EC introduced a programme for electors

• The Election Commission of India introduced a programme for the electors to crosscheck their details registered in the voters' list.

• The move is to ensure a cent per cent error-free electoral roll.

• It is in connection with the special summary revision of the roll with 1 January 2019 as the qualifying date.

• The verification programme would be from the first to the 30th of next month.

National Affairs I

• Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched the book - the Diary of Manu Gandhi at a function in New Delhi. The book has been brought out by National Archives of India, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• The Centre has asked all the Cooperative Milk Federations and Private Dairies to at least halve the use of plastic by Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October 2019.

National Affairs II

• FASTags will become mandatory for all vehicles from December 2019. FASTag enabled vehicles can cruise through the dedicated FASTag lane without stopping at toll plazas on National Highways.

• Centre has notified new sets of health warnings for all tobacco products by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Rules, 2008, which will come into effect from September 1, 2019.

Lok Sabha Secretariat bans use of plastic

• The Lok Sabha Secretariat has prohibited the use of non-reusable plastic water bottles and other plastic items within the Parliament House Complex from 20 August 2019.

• All officers/staff of the Secretariat and other allied agencies working in the Parliament House Complex have been advised to use environment-friendly/biodegradable bags/materials instead.

OSDMA to launch special cell for PwDs

• Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has decided to open a cell for PWDs.

• The cell would look into special needs of the persons with disability during Evacuation, Search & Rescue, Rehabilitation and Resettlements.

• It will make networking with both Government & Private organizations and prepare a database of Persons with Disabilities.

9TH Session of India-Kenya JTC held

• The 9th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on 19-20 August 2019 in New Delhi.

• The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal.

• Both sides reviewed the developments in their bilateral trade and noted the trends since the last session of the India-Kenya JTC held in August 2018.

NAREDCO 15th National Convention inaugurated

• The Housing for all 2022: NAREDCO 15th National Convention: Real Estate Reflection Point: Readying for the future was inaugurated on 20 August 2019.

• The event was organised by National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO).

• NAREDCO was established as an autonomous self-regulatory body in 1998 under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

3000th railway station gets Wi-Fi

• Ellenabad railway station under Bikaner Division of North Western Railway became the 3000th station in the country to have free public Wi-Fi.

• A town in Haryana, Ellenabad is situated at the north of the Ghaggar- Hakra river, and serves as a port of entry into Haryana from Rajasthan.

• Incidentally, the 2000th station to get Wi-Fi was Rana Pratap Nagar, also under the North Western Railway.

Uday Exp to run between Vizag and Vijaywada

• Indian Railway’s 2nd double-decker Uday (Utkrisht Double-Decker Air Conditioned Yatri) Express will run between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

• The train would consist of 9 double-decker coaches and 2 power cars.

• The trains are primarily allocated to routes with heavy passenger traffic.

• They are equipped with WiFi facility, have striking interiors, cushioned seating, and display screens.

Live tracking system for MSRTC buses launched

• Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote launched a tracking system for MSRTC buses which will allow people to have real-time information about their commute.

• The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has over 18,000 buses in its fleet and carries more than 67 lakh passengers daily.

• At present, it is ready on Mumbai-Nashik route for all Shivneri buses, the premium brand of MSRTC.

National Affairs

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the issues related to final publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The review meeting was held in New Delhi on 19 August 2019.

• The J&K Government has constituted 3 high-level committees for the formal establishment of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. These Committees will deal with financial matters and other issues.

President Kovind launched plantation drive


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• President Ram Nath Kovind planted a sapling of Maulsari in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate and launched a plantation drive as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations.

• Over the next few weeks, the President's Secretariat will be planting over three thousand trees and around three thousand shrubs.

• The President’s Estate is spread over 330 acres of harbours rich biodiversity.

State Tourism Ministers Conference inaugurated

• The Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the State Tourism Ministers’ Conference in New Delhi on 20 August 2019.

• It was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

• The Conference provided a platform for the Ministry of Tourism to apprise the States / UTs about new initiatives taken and those in the pipeline.

Odisha approved conservation plan of lakes

• The Odisha Wetland Authority has approved implementation of an integrated management plan of lakes Chilika and Ansupa.

• The Chilika lake is India’s largest brackish water lagoon and Ansupa is the Odisha’s largest freshwater lake.

• The 5-year management plan of lakes is intended at strengthening livelihood of thousands of fishermen relying on the two water-bodies.

National Affairs I

• Prasar Bharti Chairman A Suryapakash has announced that Prasar Bharati would soon be introducing two awards - the Neelum Sharma Tejaswini award and the Achyutananda Sahoo Award.

• Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has approved various infrastructure projects for Mumbai and its adjoining areas. The 3 projects would be constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

National Affairs II

• All personnel working in the Central Armed Police Forces will now retire at a uniform age of 60 years. A Home Ministry order corrected the anomaly where personnel superannuated at the age of 57, instead of 60.

• The nation paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary. Several programmes were organised in different parts of the country to mark the occasion.

HP broke record, received highest rainfall

• The local Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that Himachal Pradesh recorded highest ever rainfall on 18th August 2019 by breaking the record of last 70 years.

• According to the IMD, rains across different places in the state will continue for the next 24 hours.

• Naina Devi recorded the highest rainfall at 360 mm and Shimla recorded 153 mm of rainfall.

Pretomanid: A new drug to treat TB

• The USFDA approved a new drug called Pretomanid. • It is only the third new anti-TB drug approved for use by

USFDA in over 40 years. • Pretomanid is part of the same class of drugs as delamanid

-- one of the other two TB drugs approved in the last half century, developed by pharmaceutical corporation Otsuka.

• The drug is used over a six-month period in concert with two other TB mediciations.

HRD Minister inaugurated 2-day int. conference

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated an international conference on teacher education in New Delhi on 17 August 2019.

• The 2-day event was organized by the National Council of Teacher Education as part of silver jubilee celebration of its establishment in 1995.

• The Ministry will launch the world's biggest project for teacher training on August 22, 2019.

President inaugurated Bunker Museum in Mumbai

• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the underground Bunker Museum at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on 18 August 2019.

• The 15,000 square feet underground bunker museum has virtual reality booths in which visitors can time travel to the 19th century.

• The bunker was created in the 19th century to fire cannons at approaching enemy ships.

• The museum will be opened for the general public later in 2019.

National Affairs

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a committee to examine allegations of illegal sand mining in the Yamuna River and sought a report within a month.

• Union Minister of State for Chemical & Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya announced that the first Central Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology (CICET) will be set up in Gujarat.

Debt waiver for 'small distressed borrowers'

• The government plans to give debt waiver for small distressed borrowers under the insolvency law framework.

• The proposed waiver would be offered as part of 'Fresh Start' provisions under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

• The IBC provides the framework to deal with distressed assets through a market-driven and time-bound process.

1st museum on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu opened


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• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the world's first museum dedicated to the life and teachings of a 16th-century saint and social reformer Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Kolkata.

• The museum was constructed by Gaudiya Mission. • The Gaudiya Mission, a spiritual and philanthropic

organisation established in 1935, propagates the teachings of Sri Chaitanya and the Vaishnava faith.

SC clears Chardham highway project

• Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the Chardham highway project.

• The project will connect four holy places of Uttarakhand through 900-km all-weather roads.

• The apex court also asked the Union Environment and Forest Ministry to form the high-powered committee by August 22 to look into environmental concerns.

India gets its first NEDL

• India has got its first National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) finalised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

• NEDL aims to bridge the current regulatory system’s gap that does not cover all the medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic device (IVD).

• The list is meant for facilities from the village till the district level.

Four New Products get GI Tag

• The Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has recently registered 4 new GIs.

• Palani Panchamirtham from Palani Town in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu State, Tawlhlohpuan and Mizo Puanchei from the state of Mizoram and Tirur Betel leaf from Kerala are the latest additions to the list of registered GIs.

National Workshop on Sustainable Sanitation

• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs will organize a one day national workshop cum exhibition at Vigyan Bhawan on 19 August, 2019.

• Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will be the Chief Guest of the event.

• The workshop on sustainable sanitation is being organized in order to bring relevant stakeholders to strategize on mitigating the risks.

Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates ABVIMS

• On the first death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Union Health Minister of India Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the medical college named after the late Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi on August 16.

• Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) started with 100 MBBS seats this year.

Scheme to involve school eco clubs launched

• In Delhi, a scheme to involve school eco clubs in the DDA's plantation drive was launched at a green belt in Rohini's sector 37 on 16 August 2019 by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

• As part of an afforestation drive of the Delhi Development Authority, 4 lakh indigenous trees will be planted this year across various biodiversity parks in the national capital.

Assam got 1st ever fuel station

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the first ever CNG fuel station of the state in Dibrugarh on 17 August 2019.

• With the inauguration of this clean and green fuel station, it will reduce environmental pollution.

• Mr. Sonowal has given much emphasis to make the state free from pollution.

• Since CNG is an affordable fuel it will be cost effective for the users.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee resi. schools to be set

• In UP, state government will set up Atal Bihari Vajpayee residential schools for children of labourers in all 18 divisions of state.

• CM Yogi Adityanath announced many projects in state including a memorial in Bateshwar, the former prime minister's native village in Agra.

• A 25-foot-tall statue will be stalled at the Secretariat Lok Bhawan on Vajpayee's birth anniversary on December 25, 2019.

Municipal Corporation of Lucknow fixed penalty

• In UP, municipal corporation of Lucknow has fixed the penalty on keeping plastic bags from 16 August 2019.

• Now keeping plastic bags or throwing them on roads will attract a penalty of maximum Rs.25,000 from any group or institute and one thousand rupees from individual in the city.

• Corporation has launched a drive against the use of plastic and it will run for next two months.

IIHM Initiative on Independence Day

• Supporting the 17 goals of Sustainable Development, International Institute of Hotel Management launched an initiative.

• On 15th August, 2019, students of IIHM across the country have visited, children's homes and old age homes where they distributed fruits and cooked food among the inhabitants.

• The name of this initiative is 'Freedom from Hunger'.

Short film by Indian Railways won award


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• A short-film –'Madhubani- The Station of Colours', bagged the ‘Rajat-Kamal’ award at the 66th National Film Awards for 2018.

• It narrates the beautification of a remote railway station belonging to the East Central Railway (ECR).

• The Madhubani railway station located in a remote part of Madhubani district of Bihar was earlier ranked as the country’s second most dirty railway station.

Air India flew over the North Pole

• Air India became the first Indian airline to fly over the North Pole while connecting New Delhi and North America.

• The inaugural flight over the Polar region took on August 15, 2019 and flew from New Delhi to San Francisco.

• This was one big achievement for the civil aviation in India as none of the Indian airlines has ever done this.

• It was piloted by Capt Rajneesh Sharma and Capt Digvijay.

Largest rural sanitation survey launched

• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019 (SSG 2019) on 14 August 2019.

• To be instituted from August 14-September 30, 2019, SSG 2019 will cover 17,450 villages in 698 districts across India and include 87,250 public places.

• Around 2,50,000 citizens will be interviewed for their feedback as part of the survey.

Rare tea variety sold for Rs 75,000 per kg

• A rare variety of tea from Upper Assam's Dikom Tea Estate set a new record today after it was auctioned for Rs. 75,000 per kg at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).

• The tea, 'Golden Butterfly', was purchased by city-based Assam Tea Traders.

• An exotic tea is judged by its aroma, taste and colour and this tea is characterised by extremely mellow and sweet caramel flavour.

‘Panchamirtham’ got GI tag

• The famous Palani panchamirtham, given as ‘prasadam’ at the Murugan temple, Tamil Nadu, has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

• This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with the GI tag.

• The panchamirtham is a combination of five natural substances — banana, jaggery, cow ghee, honey and cardamom.

Gujarat govt to open Army schools

• Gujarat government will open Army schools in tribal-dominated areas to provide required training to youths and to help them get selected to serve in defence forces.

• The government has set up medical colleges in the tribal-majority districts of Dahod, Tapi, Surat and Valsad.

• The government has taken adequate steps to ensure that tribal population is not deprived of higher education.

Mumbai to get first Indian Institute of Skills

• Mumbai is all set to get the first Indian Institute of Skills - IIS, the foundation stone of which will be laid in September 2019.

• Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey announced that the institute will be operational by 2020.

• The project will be executed on a Public-Private Partnership basis.

Tripura got direct flight service

• Tripura gets its direct flight service from 14 August 2019. • In a new development in air transportation for Tripura

state, the Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb flagged off Delhi -Agartala direct flight service at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport.

• The direct flight would be helpful in attracting more tourist, enhancing business and all other sectors.

PM announced Jal Jeevan Mission

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 'Jal Jivan' mission to make drinking water available to all households.

• The government will spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees for it. • The movement towards water conservation has to take

place at the grassroots level and it should not be limited to mere a Government programme.

• People from all walks of life have to be integrated in this movement.

Inter-State Council reconstituted

• The government has reconstituted the Inter State Council and the Standing Committee of the Inter State Council.

• According to the notification, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Chairman of the Inter State Council.

• Chief Ministers of all States and six Union Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman are the members of the Council.

Swachh Survekshan 2020 launched

• Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020.

• It is the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

• SBM Water PLUS Protocol and Toolkit, Swachh Nagar – an integrated waste management app and AI-enabled mSBM App were also launched.

Watan - a patriotic song by DD - released

• Union Minister Prakash Javadekar released patriotic song Watan produced by Doordarshan to mark the occasion of Independence Day, 2019 in New Delhi on 13 August 2019.


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• The song pays tribute to New India. • It highlights several path-breaking initiatives of the

government including the determination and vision behind the recent successful launch of Chandrayaan 2.

Railways to launch its commando unit

• The Commandos for Railway Safety (CORAS) will be deployed in Naxal-prone belts, Jammu and Kashmir and North East after its launch on 14 August 2019.

• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and MoS Railway Suresh C Angadi will launch CORAS in New Delhi.

• CORAS is headed by the Director General of the RPF and is armed with special uniforms with bullet-proof jackets, helmets and sophisticated weapons.

State of Art Gallery inaugurated

• Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, inaugurated Textiles Gallery at National Crafts Museum in New Delhi on 13 Aug 19.

• The gallery will serve to be a resource centre for the students of fashion technology, apparel sciences and textiles designing.

• It consists of more than 230 different types of textiles collections divided into categories of 30 traditions.

CSR non-compliance should be a civil offence

• A high-level committee has recommended that non-compliance with CSR norms be made a civil offence and moved to a penalty regime.

• This is a departure from the recent policy change which had provided for a three-year jail term for violating CSR norms.

• The committee chaired by Injeti Srinivas, secretary, corporate affairs ministry, submitted its recommendations to Sitharaman.

RPF launched Operation Number Plate

• Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways launched a Special Drive with a Code Name – Operation Number Plate.

• It will identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating area, parkings and ‘No Parking’ areas for longer duration.

• The unidentified vehicles are considered as a serious threat to security and safety of passengers and other stakeholders of railways.

National Affairs

• The legislative party of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) merged itself with BJP on 13 August 2019. Out of 13, 10 MLAs of the SDF joined BJP in the presence of party general secretary Ram Madhav in New Delhi.

• Maharashtra government will conduct disease-wise survey of the flood-hit areas. The aid surveys are also being

conducted on the basis of diseases like fever, diarrhoea and jaundice.

Global Investors Summit to be held in Srinagar

• Jammu and Kashmir government will host a 3-day Global Investors Summit from 12th October 2019 in Srinagar.

• The first ever summit in the state will provide J&K an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential.

• The summit will also provide an opportunity to allay fears and apprehensions in the minds of outside trade and business community.

Headgear mandatory for children above 4 years

• Protective headgear of prescribed standards has been made mandatory for children above four years while travelling on a motorcycle.

• The safety measures for the children travelling on motorcycles have been included in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 that is passed by Parliament.

• The President of India gave assent to the Act recently.

Gandhi's 150th birth anniv as Community Day

• The railways will mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary as Community Day, according to an action plan of the Railway Board.

• A special exhibition titled From Mohan Das to Mahatma would also be held.

• 150 small nurseries are to be set up on railway land adjacent to tracks, especially around metro areas.

Vikram Sarabhai's celebrations kick off

• The year-long centenary celebration of the birth anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai, father of India's space programme, was kicked off in Ahmedabad on 12 August 2019.

• The centenary programme includes exhibitions, competitions to school children, journalism awards and speeches by eminent personalities.

• The programme will be conducted across 100 selected cities and will end on August 12, 2020.

Government to start special hospitals

• Special hospitals offering Indian Systems of Medicines like Siddha and Ayurveda will be started in 150 districts across the country.

• This was stated by Union Minister of State for AYUSH Sripad Yesso Naik, while inaugurating an Ayurveda medical College in Tamil Nadu.

• A six months course in basic medicine has been started with the intention of providing basic healthcare in rural areas.

Chhattisgarh locals formed 15-km long chain


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• Thousands of students and members of several social organisations unfurled a 15-km long national flag by forming a human chain in Raipur on 11 August 2019.

• The event, organised by Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam Foundation, entered the Champions Book of World Records (for the longest tricolour).

• Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel felicitated the families of martyrs during the event.

GRSE launched fifth FPV for Coast Guard

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) launched a fifth Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

• Named Kanaklata Barua after a freedom fighter from Assam, the vessel is the last of the five FPVs built by GRSE for the Coast Guard.

• The vessel is 50 metres long and 7.5 metres wide with a displacement of around 308 tonnes.

• It is equipped with three main engines.

2-day exhibition on DAE Technologies

• The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) organized a 2-day exhibition on DAE spin-off technologies for non-power applications at New Moti Bagh recreation club, New Delhi.

• The exhibition is open to public for two days (Aug 11-12, 2019).

• It is covering technologies developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Raja Ramanna Centre for Advance Technology, Indore and other Units of DAE.

Plan for coastal zone management unveiled

• The Environment Ministry has unveiled a draft plan that will dictate how prospective infrastructure projects situated along the coast ought to be assessed before they can apply for clearance.

• The draft Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is part of a World Bank-funded project.

• The document lays out guidelines out for coastal States.

Universities get access to Urkund software

• All universities in India, public and private, have been given trial access to anti-plagiarism software 'Urkund'.

• Final subscription to access the Swedish software will begin from 1 September 2019.

• It will be available to teachers, students, and researchers. • The Urkund software was chosen through a global tender

process.

Hyderabad Police created green corridor

• Hyderabad Traffic Police created a green corridor on 9 August 2019 to facilitate the transportation of a live heart here.

• The organ was transported from Care Hospital in Banjara Hills to Care Hospital, Nampally.

• The 6-kilometre journey was completed within ten minutes, 10-15 minutes earlier than in regular traffic.

• The ambulance reached Care Hospital, Namapally at 8.18 PM.

Website for COP14 launched

• Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a website 'unccdcop14india.gov.in, which contains all the information related to COP14 .

• The 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14), will take place on 2-13 Sept 2019 in Delhi.

• Over 3,000 participants from all over the world are expected to participate in COP14.

TRAI proposed third party apps

• TRAI proposed having a channel selection system developed by a third party to make the process easy.

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in March 2017, had notified the 'New Regulatory Framework' for Broadcasting and Cable services.

• It issued a draft amendment to the Telecommunication Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection Regulations, 2017 on 9 August 2019.

Cochin Shipyard launched two ro-pax vessels

• The Cochin Shipyard launched two ro-pax (roll-on roll-off passenger) vessels designed and built by it for the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).

• The vessels were the third and fourth in a series of 10 vessels, eight ro-pax and two ro-ro vessels, ordered by the IWAI.

• The vessels would be operated in National Waterways 1 and 2.

• They are capable of accommodating 200 passengers each.

Inter-State portability inaugurated

• The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan inaugurated the inter-State portability in two clusters of adjoining States of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and Gujarat & Maharashtra.

• This will enable beneficiaries from either States’ cluster to avail the benefits accruing to them under the National Food Security Act from any of the two States.

3rd Int. Electric Vehicle Conclave inaugurated

• The 3rd International Electric Vehicle Conclave was inaugurated in Manesar, Gurugram on 9 August 2019.

• The Conclave was held to create a knowledge-sharing platform to ensure flow of information at all levels in the automotive sector.

• It has grown and transformed itself into a global event since 2017.

• It focuses on new trends and challenges in the field of electric mobility.


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UP created record

• In UP, 4 world records were made in the massive plantation drive Vriksharopan Mahakumbh on the occasion of 77th anniversary of Quit India Movement.

• More than 22 crore saplings were planted at 12.2 lakh locations under the drive.

• Free distribution of saplings in Prayagraj district created a world record and was certified by the Guinness as the largest distribution of saplings in the world.

25% cargo through coastal shipping

• The government has set a target of transporting nearly 25% of cargo through coastal shipping and inland waterways over the next 10 years.

• Increase in exim cargo will help reduce inflation by nearly 2.5%.

• Logistics cost is still 5% more than global cost. • The port-led development initiatives taken by the

government will help achieve this target.

India's first underwater train to be launched

• India's first underwater train project in Kolkata is almost complete.

• The metro will soon be operational. • India's first underwater train will soon get started in

Kolkata under the Hubli river. This train is proof of the progress made by Indian Railways.

• The 16-kilometer long Kolkata Metro project will connect Salt Sector 5 with Howrah Maidan.

Rajnath Singh chaired Roundtable

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the Make in India in Defence Industry Roundtable on 9 August 2019 in New Delhi.

• It was organised by the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence (MoD).

• It aims to explore ways to attract investment, address the concerns of the industry and promote innovations in Defence sector.

• The MoD has taken several steps to promote FDI in this sector.

Workshop on Tribal Enterprise inaugurated

• Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs inaugurated a National Workshop on Tribal Enterprise with focus on Honey, Bamboo and Lac on 8 August 2019.

• He also released the Flyers and Reports on (1) Bamboo and Bamboonomics ; (2) Lac; and (3) Honey on the occasion.

• National Workshop was organized to fine-tune its action plan on the Promoting Tribal Enterprise on Bamboo, Honey and lac.

National Affairs I

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive on 9 August 2019 in

New Delhi to create awareness about Water Conservation among all school students in the country.

• The Central Information Commission held a seminar on Human Resource Development and Right to Information Act 2005 on 9 August 2019 in New Delhi.

National Affairs II

• A special Postage Stamp and First Day Cover was released to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Edition of International Film Festival of India. The festival will take place from the 20-28 November 2019 in Goa.

• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy organised Curtain Raiser ceremony for the 3rd Renewable Energy Investors' Meet and Expo which will be held from 30 October-2 November 2019 in India.

Odisha police station in top 10 in India

• Tarava police station in the Subarnapur district of Odisha has been adjudged as one of the 10 best police stations in India in the annual ranking for the year 2018.

• The certificate of excellence and a trophy were handed over to Tarava police inspector Dulamani Bhoi by Odisha DGP R.P. Sharma.

• Tarava P.S. got this award on the basis of smart policing, citizen-centric policing, and more.

National Affairs

• A day-long NHRC National Level Review Meeting on Mental Health concluded at India International centre, New Delhi on 7 August 2019.

• The e-version of Rozgar Samachar has been launched recently by Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar. It will make aspirants aware of job opportunities in government sector including public sector enterprises.

Mountaineering Exp. flagged off to Mt. Elbrus

• Minister of State for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik flagged off an Expedition Team of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling to Mt. Elbrus, Russia on 6 August 2019.

• The expedition team of 8 professional mountaineers, led by HMI Principal, GpCapt Jaikishan, plans to summit Mt. Elbrus, on August 15, 2019, and hoist India's flag atop the mountain to coincide with 73rd Independence Day.

22nd National Conference on e-Governance

• The 22nd National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2019 will be held on 8-9th August 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya.

• The theme of this Conference is 'Digital India: Success to Excellence'.

• The Conference is a part of the DARPG’s 100 days initiatives in the new Government.


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• This is the first time the event is being organized in North-Eastern region of the country.

PMAY(U) Awards for Beneficiaries instituted

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has instituted PMAY(U) Awards for Beneficiaries for the first time to recognise the contribution of States/UTs, Urban Local Bodies and Beneficiaries.

• This award is in addition to CLSS Award for recognising the contribution of PMAY (U) Banks and Housing Finance Companies.

• The winners will be awarded during a National level Event.

National Affairs

• Chandrayaan-2 successfully completed its fifth and final earth-bound orbit-raising manoeuvre on 6 August,19. The manoeuvre led the spacecraft to reach an orbit of substantial apogee, that is the farthest point from the Earth.

• The 4th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly began on 6 Aug 2019. CM Neiphiu Rio introduced the Nagaland Protection of Interests of Depositors Bill, 2018.

National Affairs I

• Aamir Khan attended the launch function of Mission Shakti, an initiative by Maharashtra Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar to train athletes from Chandrapur and Gadchiroli for international events like the Olympics.

• Arunachal Pradesh State Home Minister Bamang Felix flagged of 5 Anti-Riot police vehicle, also known as Vajra, from Police Headquarter in Itanagar.

Workshop organized by NCRB

• A 1-day Workshop on ‘Role of Technology in Reuniting Missing Children & Trafficked Persons’ was jointly organised by National Crime Records Bureau and Indian Police Foundation on 5th August, 2019.

• The workshop deliberated on the use of biometrics by law enforcement agencies for the identification of persons.

• Use of biometrics has become a necessity in today’s complex world.

Second All India Annual Conference organized

• The Second All India Annual Conference of Indian Information Service Officers was organized in New Delhi on 5 August 2019.

• It was organized with a view to attain greater integration of all Media Units under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in order to further amplify government communication.

• A Performance Review of Media Units was also conducted during the Conference.

Mohali got first 3-D traffic signal

• Mohali traffic police launched 3-D Smart Traffic Signal devised by the students of a Chandigarh university.

• The wireless system, called 'Intelights', has been installed at the traffic crossing near the Airport Road, on a pilot project basis.

• It will regulate traffic signals with a smart bird's eye view wireless sensor system.

• It uses existing CCTV cameras to gather live traffic video feed.

National Affairs II

• Competition Commission of India imposed a penalty on SAAR IT Resources Pvt. Ltd., CADD Systems and Services Pvt. Ltd. and Pentacle Consultants (I) Pvt. Ltd for doing bid-rigging.

• Lalit Kala Akademi celebrated its 65th Foundation Day on August 5th, 2019, at the Lalit Kala Art Galleries of Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi. ‘Mithila Ki Lokchitrakala’ a book by Avdhesh Aman was also launched here.

Udaipur to host largest education brainstorm

• The 3rd edition of the ScooNews Global Educators Fest (SGEF) will be held on the 9-10 August 2019, Udaipur.

• It will bring together over 500 educators to discuss the way towards establishing India as the next global education powerhouse.

• The theme is ‘Education for Sustainability: Moving on from Conformity to Creativity’.

• Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur Royalty is the patron for 2019.

RBI imposed ₹50 lakh fine on SBI

• The Reserve Bank has imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on SBI for non-compliance relating to reporting of frauds.

• RBI has slapped penalties on eight commercial banks, including, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda, for a host of violations.

• RBI imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on PNB for delay in reporting of fraud in the account of Kingfisher Airlines.

Amit Shah moved RS to scrap Article 370

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved the Rajya Sabha to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, removing the special status granted to the state.

• The order, which has been signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, comes into force immediately.

• Shah also proposed the reorganization of the state, with Jammu and Kashmir to be declared a Union Territory with an Assembly.

Nat. Popu. Register data to be collected

• The next round of recording biometric and family-tree details of Indian citizens under the National Population Register (NPR) will be conducted in September 2020.


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• The exercise is different from the decennial Census and is not linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

• The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated TechEx

• Union HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated the TechEx - technology exhibition at IIT Delhi on 4 August 2019.

• He also released TechEx Volume containing abstracts of all the IMPRINT and UAY projects.

• TechEx is a unique effort, which offers an excellent platform to the researchers to showcase their work and inspire them to do their best in their respective domains.

Elephant population estimated at 29,964

• Elephant population in the country is estimated at 29,964 as per the census conducted in 2017.

• The South Region accounted for 14,612 followed by North East with 10,139 elephants.

• As per the India State of Forest Report 2017, there has been an increase of 6,778 kilometres of forest cover at the national level as compared to the assessment of 2015.

5th Dharma-Dhamma conference held in Rajgir

• The fifth international Dharma-Dhamma conference was inaugurated in Rajgir on 27-28 July 2019.

• The main purpose of this conference was to address people about the terror, violence and global warming prevalent in the world.

• This two-day conference addressed the subjects of Sat-Chit-Ananda and Nirvana which are the pivotal topics of Buddhism.

Odisha Secretariat renamed Lok Seva Bhawan

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced in the State Assembly that the Sachivalaya or Secretariat building in Bhubaneswar will now be called ‘Lok Seva Bhavan’.

• The Odisha secretariat building was inaugurated on November 12, 1959, by the then Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant.

• Ganeshi Lal is the Governor of Odisha.

Govt to set up National traders Body

• The commerce and industry ministry will soon notify the constitution of a National Traders’ Welfare Board.

• The Board will identify ways to improve access to funds for this unorganised sector.

• It will also make recommendations to reduce the compliance burden of traders as well as to ensure social security benefits such as insurance, pension, and healthcare for traders and their employees.

Tamil Nadu to get Silk Samagra

• Tamil Nadu will receive about Rs 6.22 crore under the 'Silk Samagra' — an Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry (ISDSI) implemented by the Union government through the Central Silk Board (CSB).

• Tamil Nadu has been ranked among the leading silk-producing States in the country.

• Tamil Nadu has registered a production of 2,072 metric tons of raw silk up to March 2019.

PM chairs 30th interaction through PRAGATI

• On 31 July 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired his thirtieth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

• The Prime Minister reviewed the progress in the resolution of grievances under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

• He underlined the resolve of his government to ensure that no family will be left without a home by 2022

IFFI celebrated Golden Jubilee

• Year 2019 marks the Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India which will be organised from 20th-28th November 2019.

• International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started way back in 1952, is an 'A' grade film festival accredited to the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF) and is one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals in Asia.

Regional Conference on Good Governance

• The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) will organize the Regional Conference on Good Governance on 14-15 November, 2019 at Jaipur, Rajasthan.

• The theme is Strengthening State Institutes of Public Administration.

• It will bring National and State level organizations on the same platform to share experiences and implementation of good governance initiatives.

National Affairs

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a list of 20 institutes - 10 public and 10 private for the grant of the status of Institutions of Eminence (IoE).

• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated a 2-day workshop for all BJP MPs in New Delhi on 3 August 2019. Multiple sessions on various subjects took place aimed at enhancing parliamentary behaviour among the newly elected BJP lawmakers.

1st Nat. Time Release Study to be conducted

• The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS) between 1-7 August 2019.


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• Exercise will be institutionalized on an annual basis, during the same period every year hereafter.

• The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

KABIL set up to ensure supply of minerals

• Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) is to be set up with the participation of National Aluminium Company Ltd.(NALCO), Hindustan Copper Ltd.(HCL) and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd. (MECL).

• The objective of constituting KABIL is to ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals to Indian domestic market.

World’s first ultra-fast hyperloop project

• Maharashtra has granted infrastructure project status for a $10-billion plan.

• It will build the world’s first ultra-fast hyperloop project, aiming to link the financial hub of Mumbai with Pune.

• Hyperloops use magnets to levitate pods inside an airless tube, creating conditions in which the pods can shuttle people and freight at speeds of up to 750 miles (1,200 km) per hour.

West Bengal launched awareness campaign

• The West Bengal Government has launched an awareness campaign for preserving the greenery and keeping the environment clean.

• CM Mamata Banerjee launched the campaign named as ‘Save Green, Stay Clean’ in Kolkata on 1 August 2019.

• The State Government will distribute more than 1 lakhs saplings throughout the state for spreading of greenery.

BIS to set up Pashmina testing centre in Leh

• Bureau of Indian Standards would set up a Pashmina testing centre in Leh, in partnership with the lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

• 'Drive for Pashmina', a Motor bike expedition to create awareness and promote Pashmina was flagged by the Hill council CEC Gyal P Wangyal and BIS DG Surina Rajan.

• Setting up of a lab in Leh would take two months time.

Gujarat Gas to set up 200 CNG stations

• Gujarat Gas Ltd is planning to set up 200 compressed natural gas (CNG) stations across India in the next two years.

• Last financial year, the company added 69 CNG stations, the highest ever to its tally of over 344 CNG stations.

• Gujarat Gas Ltd (GGL) is present across 23 districts in Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Thane Geographical Area (GA), including Maharashtra's Palghar district.

Prakash Javadekar launched e-projects

• Union Minister Prakash Javadekar launched several e-projects of Publications Division on 31 July 2019.

• The projects include redesigned dynamic website, mobile app 'Digital DPD', e-version of Rozgaar Samachar and e-book 'Satyagrah Geeta'.

• The mobile app for Publications Division would help in improving the reading habits of people in the era of e-books and Kindle.

Inauguration of FCP and launching of Mob App

• Minister of HRD, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurated the ‘Facilitation cum Publicity Pavilion (FCP)’ at the National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi.

• Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa launched the upgraded 3D Air Combat Mobile Game 'Indian Air Force: A Cut Above' at the same venue.

• The FCP is an endeavour to connect to more than 7.5 lakh children that visit the Bal Bhavan annually.

National Affairs I

• The six-time MLA from Sirsi Assembly constituency and senior BJP leader Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri was unanimously elected as the new Speaker of the Karnataka state Assembly on 31 July 2019.

• Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani formed 10 Task Forces to examine, review and suggest inputs for formulating New Industrial Policy of the state. The Task Force Committee will be headed by Chief Secretary JN Singh.

India Post Payments Bank to convert into SFB

• The Postal Department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) into a small finance bank (SFB), enabling it to offer small loans to customers.

• Besides, the department also looks to open one crore accounts for IPPB in 100 days.

• The decisions were taken at the annual Heads of Circles Conference held at Srinagar.

National Affairs II

• The Government has allowed the task force, formed to draft new direct tax law, to submit its report by August 16, 2019. Earlier, the force had to submit its report by July 31, 2019.

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced that the Lower House will become paperless from the next session. The move will save crores of rupees to the exchequer.

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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I August 2019 · • over a flooded bridge after incessant rainfall...

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