August Current Affair’s

August Current Affair's
• India's first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance
System (IUHDSS) has been commissioned in Kochi, Kerala. The system
will enable operators to foresee and respond to surface and
sub-surface threats to vital assets along the harbour and warships in
the dock. Points to remember regarding IUHDSS:- a) Designed by Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI). b) Consists of advance sensors, coastal
surveillance radars and Sound Navigation and Ranging Systems (SONAR).
c) Capable of detecting, tracking, identifying and generating warning
for all types of underwater and surface threats to harbour security.

• Master Ranveer Singh Saini (14 year old) became the first Indian
golfer to win a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in Los
Angeles.

• The United Nations (UN) released the report title "World Population
Prospects: The 2015 ". As per the report, India will overtake China to
become the most populous nation in the world by 2022.

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected Beijing to host
the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. It will be the first Olympic Winter
Games ever to be held in China. The games will be held from February 4
to February 20, 2022. It will be the third consecutive Olympic Games
held in Asia, after Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2020.

• The state government of Tamil Nadu instituted a youth award in the
name of former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and also declared that
his birthday October 15 would be celebrated as Youth Awakening Day. On
every Independence Day from 2015 onwards, the annual "Dr.APJ Abdul
Kalam Award" would be given to a person from the state who works with
exceptional merit in students welfare, humanities and science. The
award carries Rs. 5 lakh, certificate of appreciation and a gold medal
weighing 8 grams.

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will issue 10 rupee denomination coins
to commemorate the International Day of Yoga (June 21). The coin bears
the logo of the International Day of Yoga, with the inscription
''Saamanjasya evam shanthi ke liye yog'' in Devnagri script and "yoga
for harmony and peace" in English. At the bottom of the logo the date
June 21 will be inscribed. The coins will be legal tender.

• Institutional deliveries in the country increased from 38.7% in
2005-06 (NFHS-3) to 72.9% in 2009 (Unicef's Coverage Evaluation
Survey, or CES), according to health minister J P Nadda.[Lok Sabha]

• The Union Cabinet has recently cleared the National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). This proposed Rs. 20,000 fund will be
working as a sovereign wealth fund (similar to Temasek of Singapore
and the Green Investment Bank in the UK) and focus on capital infusion
in infrastructure projects. Rs. 20,000 crore represents Government of
India's equity worth 49%. Additional funds will be provided by
investors.

• India will deploy its first world-class river information system
(RIS) in Sagar-Farakka section of National Waterway (NW) 1. This RIS
will work like air traffic control to ensure smooth flow of vessels
and cargo on the waterway. This waterway runs from Haldia (Sagar) to
Allahabad across Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly river system. Several
companies including thermal power plants, cement and fertiliser
companies, and Food Corporation of India have expressed interest in
using NW 1 as a cheap and clean form of transport.

• TPP is a giant free trade deal between the U.S., Canada, and 10
countries in the Asia-Pacific region including Australia, Brunei,
Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam
as well as Japan and potentially South Korea also. The talks have
failed to conclude so far.

• HDFC Bank Ltd. Launched 'Dhanchayat' an educational film to raise
awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from unorganised sources.
As part of Swachch Banking, Dhanchayat video vans will cover 5000
villages in phase I and encourage the local public to join the
organized banking sector in line with the government's vision for
financial inclusion. The vans will stop at assembly points viz. Haats,
bazaars, melas and village panchayats and will also have micro-ATMs
with biometric facility fitted in them to enable instant e-KYC and
Re-KYC using Aadhar.

• The Aadiperukku festival has been organised in Tamil Nadu with
traditional gaiety on August 3, 2015. This Hindu Tamil festival
celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Adi (mid-July to
mid-August) in gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery River.

• Pakistan became the first Asian country to get European Organisation
for Nuclear Research (CERN) membership. Now, Pakistan can participate
in the governance of CERN, by attending meetings of its council. It
will also allow the Pakistani industry to bid for CERN contracts.
Presently, India has observer status in CERN.

• Recently, Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a unit of
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has been
successful in protecting its traditional knowledge by preventing an
attempt made by British firm Pangaea Laboratories Ltd., to take patent
on a medicinal composition containing turmeric, pine bark and green
tea for treating hair loss. Till date, CSIR-TKDL has prevented approx
200 firms from acquiring patent rights on products grown and nurtured
in India.

• After the approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the
African country, South Sudan became the 206th member of the Olympic
family. Now, South Sudan will compete at 2016 Rio de Janeiro summer
Olympics under its own flag.

• Ireland, which benefit from the presence of transnationals, is the
leading exporter of computer and information services, followed by
India.

• Apollo Munich Health Insurance has introduced Dengue Care, the first
exclusive over-the-counter health policy to cover dengue related
expenses. It is available at an one-time premium of Rs. 444 and
provides Rs. 50,000 in-patient and Rs. 10,000 OPD coverage.

• The Union Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Birender Singh
Chaudhary launched the web portal 'SAMANVAY' to monitor progress and
implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for development
of Gram Panchayats.The purpose of this portal is to help Member of
Parliament's (MPs) to utilise relevant schemes in the planning and
implementation of SAGY. Beside, the web portal, 'Panchayat Darpan'
magazine also launched to monitor the progress of the SAGY. It will
act as a mirror of all the development activities in the village
panchayats.

• The notable Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen for
the Uttar Pradesh's highest literary award Bharat Bharti for the year
2014. The award is given by UP Hindi Sansthan every year, carries a
cash prize of Rs. 5 Lakh. His famous novel 'Kashi ka Assi' has been
adapted into upcoming movie 'Mohalla Assi'.

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially recognized
' Frisbee' as an Olympic sport.

• The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has won the Esri Special
Achievement in GIS Award 2015 for exemplary work in Dairy Geographical
Information System. This institute was founded by Dr. Verghese Kurien
in 1965 at Anand, Gujarat. He was the chief architect who made India
the largest milk producer in the world and is best known as the
"Father of the White Revolution" in India.

• India's leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki launched its first
premium crossover "S-Cross" in India. The vechile will be available in
two diesel engines viz. DDiS 200 and DDiS 320 and sold from the
company's newly-launched Nexa showrooms.

• Bharti Airtel became the first telecom operator in India to
commercially launch its 4G high-speed data services in 296 towns
across India. The service will be made available to customers through
Wi-Fi routers, internet dongles and 4G-enabled mobile phones. The
company has also launched an automated platform "Flexpage" that allows
customers to track their data usage and get real-time usage alerts.
With it, customers can also upgrade their mobile plan on the go, as
and when they exhaust their monthly data quota.

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and FICCI signed the
Phase II of MoU for cooperation in establishing a 'National
Coordination Centre for Sustaining Competitive and Responsible
Enterprises (SCORE) Training Services in India'. The purpose of this
pact is to provide training to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) so that they become competitive and boost the productivity of
the sector.

• The Union Cabinet gave its nod to a proposal to sign an agreement
with UNESCO for establishment of a Centre for World Natural Heritage
Management and Training for Asia-Pacific region at the Wildlife
Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand as a category-2
centre of the UN body. Presently, there are nine category-II centres
related to cultural heritage and the centre at Wildlife Institute of
India (WII), Dehradun will be the first institute to get natural
heritage recognition by UNESCO.

• IDBI Bank has signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for refinancing of
loans given to small enterprises. As per the agreement, the Bank will
offer credit facilities up to Rs. 10 lakh to micro enterprises, at a
competitive interest rate under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) and
Mudra will be providing refinance assistance to the bank for eligible
sanctioned loan cases. The refinance scheme will be implemented
through all the branches of the lender.

• India's oldest organized retailer, Shoppers Stop has tied up with
Snapdeal (online shopping portal) to retail their products online.
This partnership will allow consumers to buy Shoppers Stop merchandise
on Snapdeal and collect it from the brick-and-mortar stores. This
facility will be launched first in North India and will later be
extended to other regions over the next 12 months.

• As per the Forbes's ranking of the 'World's Highest-Paid Actors'
2015, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar are among the
world's top ten highest-paid actors. In the list, Bollywood stars Shah
Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor ranked 18 and 30 with estimated earning of
$26 Million and $15 Million. The list has been topped by actor Robert
Downey Jr with earnings of $ 80 million.

• To strengthen cooperation in New and Renewable Energy Sector, a
Memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and Mozambique
during the official 5-day visit of President of Mozambique Mr. Filipe
Nyusi to India.

• The Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL) at
IIT Kharagpur has signed an MoU with the Law School of George
Washington University (GWU) of USA for students and faculty exchange.

• The Kannada poet and freedom fighter Mr. Kayyara Kinhanna Rai (101)
passed away at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district, Kerala. The excerpts
of his works are Shreemukha, Aikyagana, Punarnava, Chethana, Malayala
Sahitya Charithre, Sahithya Drusht, etc.

• The global electronics manufacturing giant, Taiwan-based Foxconn
Technology Group signed an MoU with the state government of
Maharashtra, to set up its manufacturing facility in the state.The
company will invest $5 billion in the next five years. At present,
Foxconn makes devices for Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, Black Berry, Kindle
e-reader and Motorola.

• The Maharashtra government has declared the northern part of Thane
Creek as a flamingo sanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife
(Protection Act), 1972. This will be the state's second marine
sanctuary after Malvan. The 'Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit' under
the Mangrove Cell will be responsible for the management of the
Sanctuary. The area spreads around 1,690 hectares will includes 896
hectares of mangroves and 794 hectares of adjacent water body and is
located on the western bank, between the Airoli and Vashi bridges that
connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai.

• India has decided to boycott 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary
Conference (CPU) to be held in Islamabad next month in protest against
Pakistan not inviting the Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

• Singrauli district Recently, the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
(BHEL) commissioned the 500 MW Unit-13 of Vindhyachal Super Thermal
Power Station (STPS), Stage-V of National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC) in Vindhyanagar in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.

• The Union Minority Affairs Minister Dr. Najma Heptullah has launched
an ambitious scheme "Nai Manzil" for minorities. The scheme seeks to
bridge the academic and skill development gaps between madrassas
passouts and their mainstream counterparts. The scheme will be
beneficial for minority dominated areas specially, Bihar and UP where
most of the minority concentrated blocks are in these two states. As
per Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992,
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains
are notified as minority communities in India.

• The Swachh Bharat Ranking of 476 cities has released by the Ministry
of Urban Development. As per the performance, the top 3 ranked cities
of India are Mysore, Thiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), and Navi Mumbai
(Maharashtra). Among state capitals, Bengaluru comes first (number 7
in the list of all cities) and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala was on
second position (number 8 among all cities) while Patna scored the
least at rank 429. The survey was conducted during 2014-15 in all the
476 Class-1 cities in 31 States and Union Territories, each with a
population of above one lakh. It was based on assessing total
sanitation practices covering a set of parameters viz. the extent of
open defecation, solid waste management, septage management, waste
water treatment, drinking water quality, surface water quality of
water bodies and mortality due to water born diseases, etc. The survey
was commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development as required
under the National Sanitation Policy of 2008.

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has
developed a poly-herbal medicine "Lukoskin" for the treatment of
leucoderma (white patches on skin). The ointment has seven ingredients
of plants having properties viz. skin photo sensitizer, anti-blister,
anti- irritation, anti-septic, wound healing and copper supplementing
properties. The oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence
of new spots. Leucoderma is also known as Vitiligo.

• The Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has become the first Indian private firm
to get license from Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) to manufacture Lakshya, a pilotless target aircraft. L & T will
get the technology for its digital version that to be sold to the
armed forces. The digital version of Lakshya is advanced version of
Lakshya-1 whose flight path can be pre-programmed. Lakshya is a
pilotless target aircraft, developed by DRDO.

• As per section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the death penalty
is given by courts. On this issue, the Tripura Legislative Assembly
passed resolution on abolishing death penalty and they send a proposal
to the Government of India (GoI) to bring necessary amendments in this
Act and provide life imprisonment up to death in case of heinous
crimes.

• Kochi has become the first city in India to be a member of
Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council.
The WTCF is a non-profit, non-governmental international organisation
formed to create a global platform for cooperation and development of
tourism by tourism cities and organisations from various countries and
regions. (Chairman of the WTCF Council: Mr. Wang Anshun)

• On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, the scheme "Suraksha Bandhan" has
been launched by Union Government. Under it, people can gift social
security schemes viz. gift cheques and special deposits to their loved
ones. In it, Jeevan Suraksha Gift cheques will be available to
purchase for Rs. 351 in bank branches. The payment of Rs. 351 for Gift
cheques will cover one year payment of the premium of Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana ( PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana ( PMJJBY). The other facilities under Suraksha Bandhan are
Suraksha Deposit Scheme (Rs. 201) and Jeevan Suraksha deposit scheme
(Rs. 5001). The last date for the enrollment for PMSBY and PMJJBY has
been extended till September 30, 2015.

• Mr. Ram Nath Kovind has been appointed as the Governor of Bihar. He
succeeded Governor of West Bengal Mr. Keshri Nath Tripathi, who was
holding an additional charge of Bihar.

• To aid digital literacy in Bihar, the Telecom Minister Mr. Ravi
Shankar Prasad has launched a mobile app " Disha" in Bihar. The mobile
app is prepared to spread digital literacy through self-learning
modules. It is free and available on Google Play Store. The Disha
handbook is framed by the Common Service Centres (CSCs) for the
purpose of digital literacy. The book has been composed to ensure that
anyone with little or no digital literacy can also learn using this
book.

• As per section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code,
the Rajasthan high court banned "Santhara" or a religious fast to
death practised by followers of Jainism, declaring it
unconstitutional. The judgement came after the Public Interest
Litigation (PIL) was filed by Nikhil Soni in 2006 against the practice
of Santhara. According to the Press Trust of India, on average 240
Jains practice santhara (also known Sallekhana Vruta) until death each
year in India.

• As per recently released data by US Department of Agriculture (DoA),
India is the world's largest exporter of beef in FY-2015. In FY-2015,
India exported 2.4 million tonnes of veal and beef, while Brazil
exported 2 million tonnes and Australia exported 1.5 million tonnes.

• The Indian socio-biologist Mr.Raghavendra Gadagkar bestowed with
Germany's highest civilian honour "the Cross of Order of the Merit"
for contribution in the field of behavioural ecology and sociobiology
and also for works in strengthening research corporation between India
and Germany.

• Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, it is
announced by Google co-founder, Mr. Larry Page. In other words,
Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity
and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same
number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. After
create a new organizational structure, "Alphabet Inc.", Mr. Larry Page
will become the CEO of Alphabet , Mr.Sergey Brin will be President and
Mr.Sundar Pichai will take over the CEO role at Google.

• The Tourism Minister of Goa, Mr. Dilip Parulekar won the Pacific
Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) – Safari India South Asia
Travel Award in the category for 'Best Innovated Tourism Minister' for
the year 2015. He is the first tourism minister of Goa to receive this
prestigious award.

• India's largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank, launched '
Saral-Rural Housing Loan' at base rate of 9.70 % for borrowers from
the rural areas. The loan amount will be between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 15
lakh, while the tenure can be anywhere from 3 years to 20 years.
Interest rate will keep changing as the bank changes its base rate.

• The Government of India (GoI) has approved the setting up of All
India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) for imparting MD and Ph.D level
education in the traditional medicine at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi.
The Institute has been conceived as an apex institute of ayurveda with
200 bedded referral hospital for imparting education in the field of
Ayurveda at MD and Ph.D level.

• An International Climate Variability and Predictability project
office will be set up in Pune for implementation of intra-seasonal,
seasonal and inter-annual variability and predictability of monsoon
systems. In this regard, an agreement has been signed between Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ESSO-IITM) and World Climate
Research Programme, Geneva

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has
been accredited by UN's Green Climate Fund (GCF) as National
Implementing Entity (NIE) for undertaking climate change related
projects from India. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was set up under the
framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in 2010 to help developing countries finance clean energy,
other mitigation efforts and adaptation to climate change.

• Ms. Suhasini Haidar, the diplomatic and strategic affairs editor at
The Hindu, won the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for the Best Political
Reporting-2015. The award, instituted by the Prem Bhatia Memorial
Trust, carries a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000 and a citation.

• Former Indian Cricketer Saurav Ganguly appointed as the social
ambassador of Beverage Maker Coca Cola India and signed a 3-year
contract uptil 2017. Under his contract's stipulations, in addition to
cricket association, Ganguly will lead Coca-Cola's football
programmers and run various football activities. He replaced Sachin
Tendulkar who's contract ended in 2014. Coca Cola is the official
partner of FIFA Under 17 World Cup football in 2017.

• The Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG (DBTL) or Pahal Scheme has been
acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the
largest cash transfer program (households).Till date, 13.9 crore LPG
consumers have joined the PAHAL scheme. The consumers who joined the
PAHAL scheme will get the LPG cylinders at market price and receive
LPG subsidy (as per their entitlement) directly into their bank
accounts. The Pahal Scheme was launched in 54 districts on November
15, 2014 and in remaining districts of the country from January 1,
2015.

• The Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank signed the
financing agreement for the assistance of National Cyclone Risk
Mitigation Project- I & II (NCRMP- I & II) for $ 104.00 Million and $
308.40 Million. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Home
Affairs through National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). At the
State level, it is executed by the State Disaster Management
Authorities.

• The Delhi government banned on the sale of all blood-thinning
medicines viz. aspirin and ibuprofen without prescription in the
national capital, as these pills causes harm to dengue patients.

• To regain world supremacy in hockey, the Balbir Singh Senior Hockey
Foundation has been launched in Mohali. Balbir Singh, hockey legend
and triple Olympic gold medallist, has donated Rs. 30 lakh to the
foundation, which he received as part of the life time achievement
award from Hockey India in 2015.

• The Netravali wildlife sanctuary is located in South Eastern
Goa.Recently, here the new frog species "Netravali Leaping Frog
(Indirana salelkari)" has been discovered. It is the 12th species in
the Indirana genus. This particular species is distinct from the
others in the genus on the basis of the mouth structure. Molecular
studies and DNA analysis have also established the Netravali Leaping
Frog as a distinct species.

• The Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh has become the first district
in India to have highest number of e-toilets (461) in its schools. The
Kerala-based Eram Scientific Solutions, the sole manufacturers of
e-toilets (electronic toilets) in India, has deployed these automated
and self-cleaning e-toilets in the district as part of the corporate
social responsibility initiatives of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The school model e-toilet "e-Lite14″ has automatic floor wash system,
automatic ceiling light, exhaust fan, in-built sensors to conserve
electricity and water and an overhead water tank. It works on both
solar and electric grid and is priced at Rs.1 lakh. It also has a
one-year warranty and insurance coverage.

• On 69th Independence Day, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced
a new campaign "Start-up India, Stand up India" to encourage
entrepreneurship among the youth of India. The campaign will also
promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost
entrepreneurship and job creation.

• The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has signed two pacts
with National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) for skill development training in
Eastern states and Bihar. As per the a) First pact: NTPC will provide
skill training to 5000 youth and women across 22 locations with
special focus on the eastern states with in two years and the cost of
the project is Rs 6.5 Crore. b) Second pact: NTPC will will train over
25000 candidates in services and manufacturing sectors across
under-served locations in Bihar. The pact is for 5 years with a
project cost of Rs. 30 crore.

• India and Slovak Republic have signed MoU on technical cooperation
in railway Sector. The tenure of this MoU is 2 years and it will be
automatically renewed for further successive period of two years at a
time. The Key factors of MoU are- a) Infrastructure building and
management station development and workshop modernisation. b)
Information & communication technologies especially for passenger
amenities. c) Modernization of rolling stock. d) Modernization of
Signaling & Telecom.

• To improve credit and minimising the political interference in the
functioning of Public Sector Banks (PSBs), the Union Finance Minister
Mr. Arun Jaitley has launched a seven pronged plan called Indradhanush
Mission. The seven shades of Indradhanush mission viz. appointments,
de-stressing PSBs, capitalisation, empowerment, framework of
accountability and governance reforms in PSBs. The plan includes a
capital infusion of Rs 20,000-crore and also hiring private sector
executives for the first time to run public sector lenders.

• Axis bank has launched contactless debit, credit and multi-currency
forex cards in partnership with Visa -the payments gateway company.
Axis Bank would be the first bank to issue multi-currency contactless
cards or 'tap and pay' cards which can be loaded in 15 currencies viz.
Saudi Riyal, Swiss Franc, Hong Kong dollar, US dollar, Euro, British
Pound, etc. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s guidelines, banks
can process contactless transactions below Rs 2,000 without a personal
identification number.

• Mr. Om Prakash Munjal was the founder and the current chairman of
Hero Cycles, who died in Ludhiana recently.

• Mr. Om Prakash Rawat, a former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, has
been appointed as the new Election Commissioner of India. Mr. Nasim
Zaidi is the current Chief Election Commissioner and Election
Commissioner other than Mr. Om Prakash Rawa is Mr. Achal Kumar Jyoti.

• For the first time, Chief Minister of Gujarat Ms. Anandiben Patel
ban on the use of plastic in the State.

• Taj Mahal, the symbol of true love and architectural brilliance, has
become the first historical monument in the world to have its own
Twitter account. The Twitter Account was lauched by Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Mr. Akhilesh Yadav.

• India has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty for period of 5 years
on Potassium Carbonate imports from Taiwan and South Korea. The duty
was imposed by Union Finance Ministry based on the recommendations of
the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping Duty (DGAD) that works under
the aegis of Union Commerce Ministry.

• Prof. Mustansir Barma won the 2015 Gujar Mal Modi Award for his
commendable contribution in the field of Science and Technology.

• The ISRO scientist, Ms. N. Valarmathi has conferred with the first
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award 2015. The award is instituted by the
Government of Tamil Nadu in honour of the former president Dr. A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam in 2015. It carries Rs. 5 lakh, a gold medal and a
certificate of appreciation. The annual award is for a person from
Tamil Nadu striving for scientific advancement, humanities or students
welfare. Ms. Valarmathi is the project director of India's first
indigenously-developed Radar Imaging Satellite RISAT-1.

• To make India Disabled-Friendly, the Accessible India Campaign (or
Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan) will soon launched by the Union Government.
The joint venture of Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (DEPWD) and the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment is set to launch Accessible India Campaign in 7 Cities
viz. New Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Haryana.
The programme will focus on grievances of people with disabilities
and the problems they face in mobility.

• The union government has decided to set up Bank Board Bureau (BBB)
for Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Where each band would be monitored on
the basis of key performance indicators. The Bank Board Bureau will
recommend appointment of directors in PSBS and advise on ways for
raising funds and mergers and Acquisitions to the lenders.

• Mr. Ajit Kumar Seth has been appointed as the Chairman of the Public
Enterprises Slection Board (PESB).

• The Online property search portal, Housing.com has acquired
Bengaluru-based HomeBuy 360 (HB360), a customer relationship
management software company, for $2 million or Rs 13 crore. The HB360
is a cloud-based sales lifecycle management platform that connects
developers, agents and buyers. With this acquisition, Housing. Com
became the only online rear estate listing platform to won a developer
CRM company In it, developers and agents can streamline the entire
sales lifecycle, by tracking inventory, managing customer relations
and in effect drives efficiencies in their sale operations.

• Saina Nehwal has became the first Indian to win silver medal in the
2015 world Badminton Championship.
• To empower gram panchayats, the Telangana Chief Minister Mr. K.
charndrasekhar Rao launched a flagship programme "Gram Jyathi" at
Gangadevipally, a village in Warangal district. The purpose of the
scheme is to strengthen villages in areas viz. water and sanitation.
Health and nutrition, education, social security and povery
eradication, natural resources management, agriculture and
infrastructure. It will ensure inclusive and holistic development of
villages through people's Participation in planning and collective
cecision-making. Each village will be allocated Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 6
crore dipending on their population.

• The country's largest lender, the State bank of India (SBI)
lanunched a mobile wallet app "SBI Buddy" in collaboration with
Accenture and MasterCard. The 'SBI Buddy' application will be
available for all customers irrespective of the bank the customer is
banking with or card customer is using. The application will be
available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It sha many
viz. can be used to send money to registered and new users, recharge
and pay bills instantly also book for movie tickets and flights.

• To provide soft loan for establishment of a Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME), the Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley has
launched two funds by Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI). The Union Government will invest Rs 2,000-crore in India
Aspiration Fund (IAF) and Rs. 10,000 in SIDBI Make In India Loan For
Enterprises (SMILE) scheme.

• The Odisha government launched "State level Facilitation Cell
(SLFC)" in order to clear investment proposals in 15-30 days. The SLFC
has categorised companies in two categories viz. green and non-green.
It will provide clearances to green category projects viz. agri-based
industries, food-processing, cottage industries etc. within 15 days.
All other industrial projects placed under the non-green category
would receive approvals within 30 days.

• The Government of India (GoI) has imposed anti-dumping duty on
'flax' (or linen) fabric imports from China and Hong Kong for a period
of 5 years. This duty would be applicable only on those flax fabrics
with flax content of over 50 %. The Department of Revenue, Ministry of
Finance has imposed anti-dumping duty of $ 0.75 per metre on 'flax'
fabric imported from China and $ 0.65 per meter fabric imported from
Hong Kong.

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has inked a
pact with IIT-Kharagpur to undertake collaborative research to meet
the futuristic defence technological needs of the country. The purpose
of this Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) is to facilitate the ongoing
research programmes of the DRDO and to initiate a collaborative
research and academic programme in select areas of relevance to
national defence.

• The ICICI Bank launched the 'Smart Vault', a fully automated
state-of-the-art locker available 24×7, including weekends and post
banking hours. The 'Smart Vault' uses robotic technology to access the
lockers from the safe vault and enables customers to conveniently
access their lockers at any time of their preference, in the comfort
of a secure lounge where the locker automatically comes up to the
customer. Customers can access the lockers in total privacy without
any intervention of the branch staff.

• The Cochin International Airport became the world's first fully
solar-powered airport. It is situated in the city of Kochi, Kerala.
The airport's solar power plant, which is comprised of more than
46,000 solar panels arrayed across 45 acres of land, will produce
48,000 units of energy per day.

• The Malayalam actor Mr. Paravoor Bharathan (86) passed away due to
prolonged illness at Kochi, Kerala. Some of the remarkable films that
he did were In Harihara Nagar, Aniathipravu, Meleparambil Aanveedu,
Mazhavil Kavadi, etc.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted in-principle approval to 11
entities viz. Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Nuvo, Vodafone,
Airtel, Department of Posts (DoP), Cholamandalam Distribution
Services, Tech Mahindra, National Securities Depository Limited
(NSDL), FinoPayTech, Sun Pharma's Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi and PayTM'
to set up Payments Banks. The key features of Payments banks are as
follows: a) the bank licence will allow companies to collect deposits
(initially up to Rs. 1 lakh per individual). b) offer Internet
banking, facilitate money transfers and sell insurance and mutual
funds. c) can issue ATM/debit cards, but not credit cards. d) can also
distribute non-risk sharing simple financial products viz. mutual
funds and insurance products. e) will not be allowed to undertake
lending services and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) will not be allowed
to open accounts.
• The Kerala government inked pact with Adani groups for the
construction of proposed Vizhinjam International Seaport project for
Rs. 7,525 crore.

• The Indian international goalkeeper, Ms. Aditi Chauhan has become
the India's first woman to play in West Ham United Ladies Football
Club. The club is an English women's football club affiliated with
West Ham United FC.

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an Indian government
agency responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined
by the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is part of the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA), Government of India. (Headquartered: New Delhi).

• To provide single window access for students to apply for education
loans and government scholarships, a web-based portal "Vidya Lakshmi
(www.vidyalakshmi.co.in)" has been launched by the Union Government.
The portal will provide information about educational loan schemes of
banks, common educational loan application form for students, facility
to apply to multiple banks for educational loans and facility for
banks to download students' loan applications.The portal also has
facility for banks to upload loan processing status, facility for
students to email grievances/queries relating to educational loans,
dashboard facility for students to view status of their loan
applications for government scholarships. The Vidya Lakshmi Portal is
developed and maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited
(NSDL e-Gov) under the guidance of Department of Financial Services,
Ministry of Finance, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human
Resource Development and Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

• The 'Desi Hoppers' became the first Indian crew to won the 'World of
Dance' championship in Los Angeles, California. The group of seven
young dancers led by Shantanu Maheshwari, Macedon Dmello and Nimit
Kotian. The Indian crew defeated 14 countries across 34 performances
in the finals and also won "Crowd Favourite" title.

• The Union Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley launched India
Aspiration Fund (IAF) as a fund of funds under the Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in order to boost the startup
ecosystem. It will invest Rs 2,000-crore in this fund and India's
largest insurance company, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
will be the partner and co-investor in the IAF.

• As per the NCRB Report, Madhya Pradesh has highest crime rate among
the states. The state has recorded a total of 2,72,423 cognisable
crimes in 2014 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

• The NASA's spacecraft, Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment
Explorer (LADEE) founded the presence of glowing neon gas on the
moon's atmosphere. Neon gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth
because of its intense glow.

• Bangladesh became the first country to receive funds from the United
Nations (UN) for its fast growing solar home systems. The UNFCCC (UN
Framework Convention for Climate Change) has issued carbon credits
worth $ 3.56 million to two Bangladeshi organisations viz. Grameen
Shakti and Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL).

• The 1984-batch IPS officer, Mr. Karnal Singh has given an additional
charge as the chief of Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a period of 3
months or until further orders for a regular appointment. Currently,
Mr. Singh is an ED Special Director. The Directorate of Enforcement
(ED) is a specialized financial investigation agency under the
Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. It is mandated to
investigate cases of money laundering and foreign exchange rule
violations.

• To curb black money generation, India approved pact with the
Seychelles for exchange of information on taxes. The agreement will
stimulate the information exchange between India and Seychelles for
tax purposes, which will help curb tax evasion and avoidance.

• The Bangladesh Novelist Zia Haider Rahman won the UK's oldest
literary award, James Tait Black Award 2015, for his debut novel "In
the Light of What We Know". The novel is based on a disillusioned
banker who is reunited with an old friend before embarking on an epic
journey.

• Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok (17) became the first woman and
youngest player from India to won the prestigious Ladies British
amateur stroke-play Championship 2015 at Leeds, United Kingdom.

• Per the recently released Red List of International Union For
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Asiatic Wild Ass has been classified as
an endangered animal. The IUCN has moved the Asiatic wild ass from the
'vulnerable' to 'endangered' category and indicates the need for
heightened protection measures. The Asiatic Wild Ass is locally known
as ghudkhar and found only in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. (
Scientific name of Asiatic Wild Ass : Equus hemionus).

• The Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile-based
application system " R-Mitra" to ensure women's safety. The basic
functionality of R-Mitra (Railway Mobile Instant Tracking Response and
Assistance) is to alert the nearest RPF inspector and divisional
security control room in case of any emergency with the press of a
button only. The app works both online and offline in SMS mode by
using the helpline number 56161. It is introduced by Eastern Railway
in Kolkata.

• The state government of Himachal Pradesh launched RISHTA project, an
efficient smart LED based street lighting project. The RISHTA project
stands for Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement.
It is also known as Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS)
and will be implemented by collaboration of state Urban Development
Department and Energy Efficient Services Limited (EESL). This project
will replace approx 63,484 street lights with LEDs in all the Urban
Local Bodies to achieve 45 to 55 % energy savings.

• To boost the trade and commerce in seafood sector, the Government of
India (GoI) will organise the 'India International Seafood' show in
Chennai on January, 2016.

• The US-based online taxi aggregator, Uber cabs tied up with Airtel
to set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. As part of partnership,
consumers using Uber cabs can pay through Airtel's mobile wallet
service "Airtel Money" and would also get to use free 4G speed, Wifi
in the cabs. Mumbai will be the first city in India to enjoy free
high-speed internet from Uber, powered by Airtel 4G and will be rolled
out in other cities soon.

• The IT services company, Infosys launched the three new-age IT
services viz. design thinking, platforms and knowledge-based IT,
through an umbrella offering called Aikido. Aikido is a combination of
three words viz. Ai, Ki and Do, which in Japanese mean combining,
spirit and path/way. To simplify the complexity of technologies and to
create innovative solutions, these new IT services are are as follows:
a) 'Ki' stands for knowledge-based management and evolution of
landscapes which captures the knowledge within an organisation. b) Do'
refers to services offering on design thinking and design-led
initiatives that would help in understanding and defining a client's
problems. c) 'Ai' refers to platforms and platforms-as-a-service to
build intelligent solutions.

• Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (19) became the the first teenager to won the
2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China. He is an
Eritrean long distance runner who specialises in the marathon.

• The Chengalikodan banana variety from Thrissur district of Kerala
has been accorded Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Chennai
based Central GI registry. This banana variant is uniquely grown in
Chowannur, Pazhayannur, Wadakkanchery, Puzhakkal and Ollukkara block
panchayats in Thrissur district of Kerala. It is known for its unique
shape, size, colour and taste.

• To boost telemedicine in rural parts of India, "SEHAT", a health
care initiative has been launched by the Union Minister for
Information Technology and Telecom, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad at the
India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. As part of the inititive, people in
rural areas can consult doctors online and also order generic
drugs.This Social Endeavour for Health And Telemedicine (SEHAT)
venture with the Apollo Hospitals is expected to connect 60,000 Common
Service Centres (CSCs) across the country to a common network and
provide healthcare access to millions of citizens irrespective of
geographical location or connectivity.

• India will host the 10th World Hindi Conference in Bhopal on
September 10-12, 2015. The theme of this year's conference is 'Hindi
Jagat: Vistar avm sambhavnai (the world of Hindi: expansion and
possibilities)'. The 1st World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur in
1975. Afterwards, the nine other conferences have been held in various
parts of the world. The last conference was held in Johannesburg,
South Africa in 2012.
• The veteran actor-director Mr. Amol Palekar has been appointed as
the chairman of India's Oscar jury by Mumbai based Film Federation of
Indiaof India (FFI). Mr. Palekar will head the 17-member jury panel,
which will select the country's official entry in the Best Foreign
Language Film at the Oscar awards 2016.

• The Justice AP Shah Committee has recommended that the Foreign
Institutional Investors (FIIs) must be granted relief on Minimum
Alternate Tax (MAT) for the period before April 1, 2015. As per the
Finance Act, 2015 proposed in the union budget, the 20 % MAT on
capital gains made by FIIs is waived off from the financial year
2015-16. Though, the issue of imposing MAT for past years till 2014-15
has become controversial. If this recommendation is accepted, it would
mean a significant relief for FIIs facing several years of levies on
capital gains made by them.

• The Temple of Baalshamin was an ancient temple in the city of
Palmyra, Syria, dedicated to the Canaanite deity Baalshamin. On August
2015, the temple was demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) after the capture of Palmyra during the Syrian Civil
War.

• India's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games,
Dhyan Chand Award is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, Government of India. The award is named after the legendary
Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. It carries a cash prize of
Rs.500,000, a plaque and a scroll of honour. It is given to honour
those sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their
performance and continue to contribute to the promotion of sports even
after their retirement from active sporting career. The 2015 Dhyan
Chand Award winners are Romeo James (Hockey), Shiv Prakash Mishra
(Tennis) and T.P.P. Nair (Volleyball).

• The Union Telecom Minister Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad released a Rs.5
postal stamp in honour of Ashoka, the Great, the great Indian emperor
of Mauryan dynasty.

• Dr. Girish Sahni has assumed charge as the next Director General of
the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary,
Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR). Previously, he
was the Director of CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology
(CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh.

• To ensure fuel supplies for power stations and prevent nuclear
proliferation, the world's first International Controlled Bank of
low-enriched Uranium will be hosted by the ex-Soviet nation,
Kazakhstan.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully
launched India's communication satellite GSAT-6 using its heavy rocket
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6) from Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota. The ekey points about GSAT-6 are as
follows- a) It will provide communication through five spot beams in
S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users. b) The
S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of six metre diameter is one of the advanced
features of GSAT-6 satellite. c) Spot beams exploit the frequency
reuse scheme to increase frequency spectrum utilisation efficiency. d)
Satellite's life expectancy : 9 years.

• The 8th International Conference on "Indian Civil Aviation and
Tourism" was held in New Delhi. The event was organized by Ministry of
Civil Aviation and ASSOCHAM. The purpose of this conference is to hold
deliberations on various issues affecting the aviation sector and
invite suggestions from the stakeholders to meet these challenges.

• The Indian Army released Amar Chitra Katha and Aan Comics on
inspirational stories of war heroes. India's favorite storyteller,
Amar Chitra Katha has presented a book on inspirational stories of 21
Param Vir Chakra Awardees, as a tribute to the recipients of the
highest gallantry award in India. Four Aan Comics were also released
based on the heroics of four war heroes who fought in 1965 Indo Pak
war and were awarded Maha Vir Chakra. They were Maj Asaram Tyagi, Maj
Bhaskar Roy, Sub Ajit Singh and Sub Tika Bahadur Thapa.

• The Government of India (GoI) launched e-payment module to deposit
compensatory levies into CAMPA Funds. The module was launched by
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change, Mr. Prakash Javadekar. This e-payment module will cut
delays and bring transparency in the system. The payment through the
e-payment module has to be made to the designated account, depending
on the State in which the forest land, proposed to be diverted, is
located. The CAMPA stands for Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority.
• The 6th Joint Military Training Exercise "EXERCISE EKUVERIN – VI"
will be conducted between the Indian Army and the Maldives National
Defence Forces at Pangode Military Station, Trivandrum, Kerala from
August 31 to September 13, 2015.

• The 10-day-long Hindu festival, Onam is celebrated with a great
enthusiasm throughout Kerala between August and September. It is
celebrated to honour King Mahabali, who according to legend ruled the
state once, under whom the people were equal, prosperous and happy. As
per the mythology, people believe that it was on this particular day
of Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calender month of Chingam when Lord
Mahavishnu took his fifth avatar as Vaamana, appeared in the kingdom
of King Mahabali and sent him to the netherworld. So, as per the
legends, on this day, the spirit of King Mahabali visits the people of
Kerala and to welcome him, people decorate their homes with flowers,
etc.

• The World Health Oraganistion (WHO) has officially declared India as
Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free country, i.e. mothers and newborns
are free from tetanus at the time of birth. Before that, India was
declared polio free country in 2014.

• Mr. Raghav Chandra has been appointed as the Chairman of National
Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Mr. Chandra is a 1982 batch IAS
officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre.

• The public sector bank, Indian Bank launched a mobile application
service " IndPay" that enables its customers to operate their bank
accounts at any point of time.This mobile application can be operated
through smartphones compatible with Android, Windows and iOS mobile
operating systems. The customers can use the transactions viz.
transfer of cash, checking for balance, getting mini statements and
also transactions to other accounts.

• India has gifted its former Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship Varaha to
Sri Lanka. The patrol ship was in the service of the island nation
since 2006 and it was rechristened 'Sagara' by Sri Lanka. Now, it will
help Sri Lanka to maintain maritime security in the region. ICG Varaha
is 75 m in length and 11 m in width.

• The second version of an open source web based tool, India Energy
Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047) has been launched by
the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. It's
purpose is to explore wide range of potential future energy scenarios
for India including for its diverse energy supply and demand sectors
leading up to 2047. In this project, United Kingdom's Department for
Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is the initiative partner with NITI
Aayog.

• The first Sunhak Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to President of
Kiribati Islands Mr. Anote Tong and noted Indian agricultural
scientist Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta with a certificate, a medal and
shared $ 1 million prize money. This award is given to eminent
individuals from around the world for their contribution to peace and
development of the world.

• The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2014-15 has been
conferred by the President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to the following
recipients viz. ITBP officer Mr. Jot Singh (Mountaineering), Ms.
Arunima Sinha (Mountaineering), Wg. Cdr. Paramveer Singh (Aqua Sport),
Lt. Col Satyendra Verma (Sky diving) and Col. Satish Chander Sharma
(Mountaineering) at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi .
The award is given to sportspersons for his or her outstanding
achievement within the field of adventure activities.

• Tennis ace Ms. Sania Mirza has been conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna award 2015. She became the second tennis player to receive the
country's highest sporting honour after Leander Paes.

• The renowned scholar and Kannada researcher, Dr. Malleshappa M.
Kalburgi (77) was shot dead by 2 gunmen at his residence in Dharwad
district of Karnataka on August 30, 2015. Dr. Kalburgi was a
controversial writer and scholar, who had spoken openly against
idolatry tradition in Hinduism. He was scholar of Vachana sahitya
(Vachana literature), Kannada epigraphist and academician who served
as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He has written
over 20 publications viz. Neeru Neeradisittu, Sarangarshi, Kachhittu
Kalyan, etc.

• The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi launched the digital version of
epic "Ramcharitmanas", as a set of digital CDs prepared by All India
Radio (AIR). The great epic poem, Ramcharitmanas was composed by the
16th-century Indian bhakti poet Goswami Tulsidas ji in Awadhi
language. The poem literally means "Lake of the deeds of Rama, its' a
retelling of the events of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana, the story of
Lord Rama, with very intense devotion.

• The Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan
has launched SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections
for the consumers as parts of its consumer friendly initiative in New
Delhi. As per the scheme, people can apply online for new LPG
connection and they need not visit to the LPG distributors for it. The
facility will enable the customers to post online request for a new
connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form by uploading bank
account details and photographs. Initially, the scheme has been
launched in 12 cities viz. Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Bhopal,
Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Mumbai and
Pune.

• The 21st edition of the Delhi Book Fair 2015 has been launched at
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It has been organised jointy by India Trade
Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Federation of Indian Publishers
(FIP) and subsidised entry tickets priced at Rs. 20 for the 9-day fair
till Sepetember 6, 2015. It is based on the theme of 'Skill
Development', to offer people an idea about skill development and how
it can change the life of the youth.

• On August 31, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Trinidad and Tobago celebrate
their Independence Day. On August 31, 1991 Kyrgyzstan became an
independent nation after the break up of Soviet Union. Trinidad and
Tobago got independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1962 and
Malaysia got independence from the United Kingdom on August 31,1957.

• The 1978-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, Mr. Rajiv Mehrishi has
been appointed as Union ome Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs
for a period of two years. He succeeded Mr. L C Goyal. Previously, Mr.
Mehrishi was serving as Secretary in the Department of Economic
Affairs in the Ministry of Finance.

• Himadri Station, established in 2008, is India's first Arctic
research station. It is located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. It's
research goals include analysis of the surface water, and atmospheric
research near Arctic region, apart from aerosol radiation, space
weather, microbial communities, glaciers, sedimentology, and carbon
recycling.