1. India has been ranked 53rd among 60 countries in the 2017 Digital Evolution Index (DEI). The list is topped by Norway, followed by Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and Finland. The Fletcher School at Tufts University, in partnership with Mastercard, presented the Digital Evolution Index (DEI) 2017. The Index is a comprehensive research that tracks the progress of the digital economy across 60 countries, taking into account more than 100 different indicators across four key drivers: supply, consumer demand, institutional environment, and innovation. It reflects the state and rate of digital evolution on the one hand, while also identifying avenues for investment, innovation and policy priorities.
2. The Punjab government has recently launched its flagship 'Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar' scheme for jobless youth by flagging off over 100 uberMOTO bikes. Under the scheme, the state government will provide commercial two wheelers and four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidised rates. The scheme will be a game-changer for the youth of Punjab and will play a catalysing role in encouraging micro-entrepreneurship opportunities throughout the state. The target of Uber is to create 10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in Punjab in one year and a total of 45,000 in next five years.
3. Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver currently driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, has won the 2017 Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix tournament at the Hungaroring in Mogyorod, Hungary.
4. The researchers at the IIT Kharagpur have developed a low-cost dirt detector that alerts authorities when a place needs cleaning. The Smart Hygiene Monitor (SHM) records levels of ammonia, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter through sensors and sends online alerts to stakeholders when a certain threshold is crossed. It can be installed at any place where cleanliness needs to be monitored at regular intervals. At present, public facilities such as toilets, eateries, hospitals, parks, airports and railway stations are generally cleaned at fixed intervals, irrespective of how dirty they are.
5. Sam Shepard (73), the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, has passed away in Kentucky, United States on July 27, 2017. He was Oscar-nominated actor and celebrated author whose plays chronicled the explosive fault lines of family and masculinity in the American West. He wrote nearly 50 plays and won the Pulitzer for drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child. His plays are chiefly known for their bleak, poetic, often surrealist elements, black humor, and rootless characters living on the outskirts of American society.
6. Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar (78), maestro and custodian of the venerable Dhrupad tradition of Hindustani classical music, has passed away in Pune, Maharashtra on July 30, 2017. He was known affectionately to his legions of disciples and admirers as 'Saeed Bhai'. He was born in Alwar in Rajasthan in 1939 and was a part of the Dagar family of musicians. He represented the 19th generation of Dagar Tradition. Dhrupad – a Sanskrit portmanteau of Dhruva (immovable) and Pad (verse) has its roots since ancient times, mentioned as early as the 3rd Century B.C. in the Natyashastra.
7. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently announced that the 2024 Summer Olympics will be hosted by Paris in France, which is scheduled to be held from August 8-18. Beside this, the IOC has also announced that the 2028 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be hosted by Los Angeles (United States). Both the decisions will be ratified at the 131st IOC Conference in Lima, Peru on September 13, 2017. The IOC decision means that Los Angeles will become a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and 1984 Games – and Paris, which held the Games in 1900 and 1924, will host a centenary celebration in 2024.
8. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the member of the Pakistan Muslim League (N)(PML-N), is the newly elected interim Prime Minister of Pakistan after defeating his rival Naveed Qamar of PPP by 221 votes on August 1, 2017. Abbasi was chosen by Nawaz Sharif as an interim Prime Minister for 45 days which would allow significant time for Shehbaz Sharif to contest elections from Nawaz's vacated constituency, be elected to the National Assembly and become eligible to hold the office of Prime Ministership. Previously, Abbasi served as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the Prime Minister by the Supreme Court in July 2017 in connection with Panama Papers scam.
9. Jeanne Moreau (89), the legendary French film actress, has passed away at Paris in France on July 31, 2017. She was best known for her role in Francois Truffaut's New Wave classic "Jules et Jim".
10. The Gangotri National Park (GNP) is located in the upper catchment of Bhagirathi river in the Uttarkashi District of Uttrakhand and covers an area of about 2,390 square km. The park is home to the snow leopard, ibex, tahr, himalayan barbet, serow, pheasants, partridges, doves, pigeons, etc. It provides majestic beauty of coniferous forests and grandeur of glacial world combined with lush green meadows.
11. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently constituted a committee of experts under the chairmanship of a former Judge of Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna to study and identify key data protection issues and recommend methods for addressing them. The purpose to form the committee is to recognize the importance of data protection and keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected. The committee will also suggest a draft Data Protection Bill.
12. The Union government has recently launched a portal e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (e-RaKAM) which will provide a platform to sell agricultural produce. The e-RaKAM is a first of its kind initiative that leverages technology to connect farmers of the smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet. Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Union Minister of Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh jointly launched the portal in New Delhi on August 1, 2017. The portal is a digital initiative bringing together the farmers, PSUs, civil supplies and buyers on a single platform to ease the selling and buying process of agricultural products. Under this initiative, e-RaKAM centres are being developed in a phased manner throughout the country to facilitate farmers for online sale of their produce. The farmers will be paid through e-Payment directly into their bank accounts.
13. Santosh Mohan Dev (83), the veteran congress leader and former union minister, has passed away today in Silchar, Assam. He was first elected to the Parliament in 1980, the first of his seven terms in office as the Member of Parliament. Out of these seven, he has represented Silchar, Assam five times and he was elected from Tripura twice. He has the rare distinction of being elected from two different states. Dev was the eldest son of the renowned Bengali North Eastern Freedom Fighter Satindra Mohan Dev.
14. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s 3rd bi-monthly monetary policy statement for year 2016-17, the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has reduced by 25 basis points from 6.25% to 6.0% with immediate effect. This move is expected to lower EMIs for home, auto and personal loans. This is the first rate cut since October 2016 and the interest rate is now at 6-year low. In line with record low retail inflation, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 5.75%, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.25%. The RBI Governor headed, six member Monetary Policy Committee also decided to keep the policy stance neutral in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index inflation of 4%.
15. The 19th round of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) meetings and other related meetings were held from 17 to 28 July 2017 in Hyderabad, India. RCEP is a proposed comprehensive regional economic integration agreement amongst the 10-ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and its six Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) partners, viz. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Korea and India. During the 19th round, parallel meetings were held by the three main Working Groups on Trade Trade in goods, services, and investment. The RCEP meeting also highlighted the need to have balanced discussions to progress negotiation across all areas, and to continue to deliver outcomes.
16. The world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge "Europaweg (or Europe Bridge)" has recently opened in Randa, Switzerland. It measures 1,620 feet long and rises as high as 278 feet above the Grabengufer ravine. The bridge connects a hiking trail through the Alps between Zermatt and Graechen.
17. Dr. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava (89), the veteran molecular biologist and a vehement critic of genetically modified crops, has passed away in Hyderabad on August 1, 2017. He headed the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, India when the government first set it up. He was a well-known critic of Indian governmental policies and has attained the post of Vice-Chairman in the National Knowledge Commission
18. Indian shuttler Rahul Yadav Chittaboina has won the men's singles title by defeating his compatriot Karan Rajan Rajarajan by 21-15 21-13 in the summit clash at the 2017 Lagos International Badminton Classics in Lagos, Nigeria. Beside him, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy from India have won the men's doubles title in the tournament.
19. Veer Dev Gulia from India has won bronze in the men's 74 kg freestyle category at the Junior World Wrestling Championships at Tampere in Finland on August 2, 2017. Gulia finished third after beating Yamasaki Yajuro of Japan, 8-5 in the bronze medal play-off bout. Beside him, Ravinder from India has also won bronze medal in 60 kg freestyle section in the tournament.
20. The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) is located in the Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. It is in news because the Maharashtra government is planning to relocate tigers from Vidarbha region to the sanctuaries elsewhere where their population is smaller, including the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR). At present, STR has only seven tigers. For this, the state government has also set up a committee to examine this issue, and a decision will be taken based on its recommendations. It will also consult experts from the Centre and submit its report in 2-3 months.
21. In Tamil Nadu, the Aadi Perukku festival is celebrated with traditional gaiety to pay tribute to water's life-sustaining properties. The festival, also known as 'Aadi 18', is celebrated on the 18th of Aadi month in Tamil calendar year to express gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery river. The 18th day of Aadi is usually August 2, is observed as 'Aadi pirappu', a day of offerings and prayers to these rivers. The day is an occasion for rejoicing particularly for those living on the banks of the all the main rivers, its branches and tributaries.
22. Dr. Sanjaya Baru has been named as the new secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He will assume the charge from September 1, 2017 and will succeed A Didar Singh.
23. The Indian Army has developed a mobile application 'Humraaz' through which serving soldiers can track details like postings and promotions. Through the 'Humraaz' app, soldiers can also view their monthly salary slips and the Form 16 and also download them. For security reasons, the installation of the application has been linked to verification of Aadhaar details. The Aadhaar details will be verified with the Army database over National Information Centre (NIC) cloud and he will get a one-time-password on his registered mobile number. Thus, to enable usage of this mobile application, the latest mobile number of individuals should be linked to his Aadhaar number. The mobile app has been developed in-house by the Army and will be launched in the second week of August for prompt communication of information to junior commissioner officers and other personnels.
24. Hassan Rouhani has been officially sworn-in as the 7th President of Iran for his second term on August 3, 2017. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei gave his official approval for the president-elect by giving him a decree to assign him his duties. Rouhani won re-election in May 2017, after securing 57% of the votes and defeating his main contender Ebrahim Raeisi. Under Iran's election law, a president-elect is required to gain the Leader's official approval before being sworn in before the Parliament. Rouhani will take the oath of office in Iran's Parliament on August 5, 2017. The oath of office will be administered by Chief Justice, Sadeq Larijani.
25. Former Indian hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay has been honored with the East Bengal football club's highest honour "Bharat Gaurav" on its foundation day on August 1, 2017. Pillay has played a huge role in reviving the Indian team and performed brilliantly during his 15-year career, representing the country in four Olympics, World Cups, Champions Trophy and Asian Games. He played total 339 matches for India, scoring 170 goals. He led India to Asian Games glory in 1998 and also won the Asia Cup in 2003. Beside him, Gurwinder Singh and Boddupalli Amit have won the Footballer of the Year award and the Cricketer of the Year, respectively. Former India International Subhash Bhowmick, a member of the 1970 Asian Games bronze medal-winning national football team and former national team coach Syed Naeemuddin were honored with lifetime achievement awards.
26. The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is observed every year from August 1st to 7th to focus attention on the important aspect of promotion and support of breastfeeding. The 2017 theme is "Sustaining Breastfeeding Together". To intensify the efforts for promotion of breastfeeding in India, the Union Health Ministry has initiated a nationwide programme called "MAA-Mother's Absolute Affection'' to bring undiluted focus on promotion of breastfeeding and provision of services towards supporting breastfeeding, along with ongoing efforts of routine health systems. In addition, "National Guidelines on Lactation Management Centres in Public Health Facilities" have been recently released to facilitate establishment of lactation management centres for ensuring that the sick and pre-term babies are fed with safe human breast milk.
27. Mukesh Ambani has become the Asia's second richest man according to the 2017 Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI). According to the 2017 index, Ambani's net worth has risen to $35.8 billion (around Rs 2.2 lakh crore), making him the 19th richest person in the world, up from 29 at the end of 2016. The increase in the net worth of the chief of Reliance Industries comes partially from the rise in stock price of the energy major, which has made major bets on the retail and telecom industries. Currently, Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma is the richest person in Asia with a net worth of $43.2 billion.
28. B B Shivappa (89), the veteran Karnataka BJP leader, has passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He is credited with building the party brick by brick in its early years in the State and served as its State president from 1983 to 88. Shivappa played an important role in the formation of the first ever non-Congress government in Karnataka, led by Ramakrishna Hegde in 1983.
29. According to recently released report-ICT Facts and Figures 2017, India and China are home to 39% of the 830 million young people worldwide who use the Internet. The report, released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), shows that of the 830 million young people online worldwide, 320 million ( or 39%), are in China and India. The ICT data shows that youths (15-24 years old) are at the forefront of Internet adoption. In Least Developed Countries (LDCs), up to 35% of individuals using the Internet are aged 15-24, compared with 13% in developed countries and 23% globally. The ITU is the United Nations (UN) specialized agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). It has 193 countries as its members and also 800 private-sectors.
30. The Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located in Somwarpet taluk of the Kodagu district in Karnataka and spread across an area of 102 kms. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife such as Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri wood pigeon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Grey Headed Bulbul, blue winged parakeet, small sunbird, white-bellied blue flycatcher, etc. One can spot varieties of animal species that includes Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Giant Flying Squirrel, Otter Species, Indian Wild Dog, Travancore Flying, Brown Palm Civet, Wild Pig, Indian Giant Squirrel, etc. It is a must-visit sanctuary to hear the heartwarming sounds of the birds.
31. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently constituted a committee on fair market conduct, which will be headed by former Lok Sabha secretary and law secretary T K Viswanathan. The panel will have representations from SEBI, mutual funds, brokers, audit firms, stock exchanges, data analytics firms and legal firms. The committee has been tasked with suggesting improvements to the existing SEBI norms, including on insider trading and Fraudulent and Unfair Trade practices (FUTP). It has been specifically asked to look at trading plans, handling of price-sensitive information during takeovers and aligning of insider-trading rules with provisions of the Companies Act. The committee has also been tasked with suggesting short-term and medium-term measures for improved surveillance of the markets, as well as issues of high-frequency trades and harnessing of technology and analytics in surveillance. The committee will submit its report within 4 months.
32. Dhirendra Swarup, who was a public interest director at the BSE, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). He succeeded Sudhakar Rao. Swarup is a former Chairman of Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and has over four decades of experience across finance, budgeting, public debt management, public policy and pension reforms. He was also chairman of the Cash and Debt Management Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from 2000 to 2003.
33. Peter O'Neill has been re-elected as the new Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a second five-year term with a healthy majority, 60 to 46 by a newly elected parliament. He is the leader of the People's National Congress and represents the constituency of Ialibu-Pangia.
34. The Union Government has launched the 2nd AGRI-UDAAN programme in New Delhi on August 4, 2017 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture. It will mentor startups and help them connect with potential investors. The program focuses on catalyzing scale-up stage food and agribusiness startups through rigorous mentoring, industry networking and investor pitching. The 6 month program is a unique platform for scale up stage innovators, entrepreneurs and startups in the Food and Agribusiness sectors. The applications will be available at www.aidea.naarm.org.in. Top 40 startups will be shortlisted and allowed to pitch in front of panel of evaluators during cohort finalization programme. Out of these about 8 to 12 startups will be selected for final cohort for capacity building workshop. The AGRI UDAAN has organised by NAARM, a-IDEA and IIM-A, CIIE in partnership with Caspian Inpact Investment and supported by DST.
35. Manju Kumari from India has won the bronze medal in 59kg category with a 2-0 victory over Ilona Prokopevniuk of Ukraine in the Junior World Wrestling Championship in Tampere, Finland on August 3, 2017.
36. The Maharashtra government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla to suggest measures to ensure safety of women working in the Information and Technology sector. The committee will suggest measures that can be undertaken to ensure safety of women working in the IT sector. This information was given by the state government to Bombay High Court. The government also sought four weeks' time to file a detailed affidavit on long-term steps it was contemplating to enhance women's safety. The court has taken up the PIL 'suo motu' (on its own) on the issue of women's safety in the state. In January 2017, a woman software engineer working with Infosys was allegedly killed by a security guard on the company's premises in Pune.
37. The Maharashtra Government has launched two online portals MahaDBT and MahaVASTU to streamline the process of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and to bring in more transparency in construction sector. With this, Maharashtra has become the first state in India to launch such a system that will provide direct benefits with Aadhaar authentication. The MahaDBT portal is an Aadhaar-authenticated electronic mechanism that will enable direct transfer of benefits for over 40 schemes currently implemented. MahaDBT's design is based on central government's direct transfer benefit scheme and Aadhaar will be mandatory to claim benefits through this portal. On the other hand, MahaVASTU portal is an online building permission management system, through which construction approvals will be sanctioned with full transparency.
38. Mohammad Mustafa, a 1995 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for a period of 3 years. At present, he is the joint Secretary in Department of Financial Services. SIDBI is an independent financial institution aimed to aid the growth and development of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) in India and is headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
39. The 7th Meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers was held in Shanghai, China from August, 1-2, 2017. From India, the 6-member delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , along with Ambassador J.S. Deepak, PR to WTO participated in the meeting. The trade ministers of BRICS nations discussed trade facilitation, economic and technological cooperation, capacity building and the multilateral trade system in the meeting. And, adopted the following documents at the conclusion of the meeting: 7th BRICS Trade Ministers' Joint Statement, BRICS trade in services cooperation roadmap, BRICS e-commerce cooperation initiative, BRICS IPR cooperation guidelines, etc.
40. The Pin Valley National Park is located within the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. The Park forms a natural habitat for a number of endangered animals such as snow leopard and Siberian ibex with its snow laden unexplored higher reaches and slopes.
41. India has recently signed a $329 million loan agreement with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for Gujarat Rural Roads Project. The objective of the project is to improve the rural road connectivity and accessibility to more than one thousand villages in all the 33 districts of the state benefiting about 80 lakh people. The project will also benefit the service providers such as public transport operators, educational institutions, hospitals, local markets and traders.
42. India's first private sector missile sub-systems manufacturing facility has inaugurated near Hyderabad on August 4, 2017. It has been established a line with the 'Make in India' initiative and Government's policy to encourage private sector participation in defense product. It is a joint venture between the $2.5 billion Kalyani Group and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd. The Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) plant will make anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) Spike and the production is expected to start soon within weeks.
43. Noted economist Dr. Rajiv Kumar will be the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, which is a think-tank that replaced the Planning Commission. He will succeed Arvind Panagariya, who will leave the government think tank on August 31, 2017 and return to Columbia University. Currently, Rajiv Kumar is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, a non-governmental think tank on public policy based out of New Delhi. He had also been part of a Government appointed high-level search Panel that went into the appointment of regulators in the Indian financial sector. Meanwhile, the Centre has also appointed Vinod Paul, a Paediatrician at AIIMS, as a member of NITI Aayog.
44. The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC countries will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 10-11, 2017. From India, the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent India in the meeting and will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the members countries. During the BIMSTEC meeting, progress on several programmes will be discussed.
45. The high level committee under the Chairmanship of Justice BN Srikrishna has recently submitted its on review of the Institutionalization of Arbitration Mechanism in India. The committee has recommended for setting up an Autonomous Body, Arbitration Promotion Council of India (APCI) having representatives from all stakeholders for grading arbitral institutions in India. The APCI may recognize professional institutes providing for accreditation of arbitrators. The APCI may hold training workshops and interact with law firms and law schools to train advocates with interest in arbitration and with a goal to create a specialist arbitration bar comprising of advocates dedicated to the field. It has also recommended for creation of a specialist Arbitration Bench to deal with such Commercial disputes, in the domain of the Courts.
46. Prabhat Kumar, the IFS officer of 1991 batch, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan. Presently, he is Ambassador of India to Colombia. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
47. The Microsoft India has tied up with the state of Telangana to use its artificial intelligence-based MINE platform to screen children for eye problems and prevent avoidable blindness. The Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE) is an artificial intelligence platform to reduce avoidable blindness. With this tied up, Telangana has become the first Indian state to deploy artificial intelligence for eyecare screening.
48. Robert Hard (91), who portrayed the role of Minister of Magic 'Cornelius Fudge' in four of the 'Harry Potter' films, has passed away in London, England on August 3, 2017. He was also known for his many portrayals of Winston Churchill and as the irascible vet Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. His voice performance as Robin Hood in Tale Spinners For Children, an LP from the 1960s, is considered one of the best Robin Hood renditions.
49. The Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is located along the Western Ghats in Mukundapuram taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala. The sanctuary is an important bird area with 192 recorded avian species such as grey-headed bulbul, Indian rufous babbler, white-bellied blue-flycatcher, Ceylon frogmouth, Indian edible-nest swiftlet, Malabar trogon and Loten's sunbird. The sanctuary also offers trekking paths for the adventure traveller.
50. Indian shooter Ankur Mittal has clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men's double trap at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship at Astana, Kazakhstan on August 5, 2017. Mittal shot 71 in the six-man final to finish at the top of the podium. With scores of Sangram Dahiya and Mohammad Asab added to Mittal's final total, India managed to bag the top prize in the team event also. Dahiya had a score of 43 and Asab had shot 34.
51. S. Aparna, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Gujarat cadre, has been appointed as new Executive Director of the World Bank (WB) to represent the constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka for three years. Currently, she is principal secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. At the World Bank, she will replace Subhash Garg, who was recently appointed Economic Affairs Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
52. The National Handloom Day (NHD) is celebrated every year in India on August 7 to give an impetus to the sector and encourage the use of handmade loom. The 7th of August has been chosen to celebrate the day due to its special significance in India's history. It was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes. The 3rd edition of National Handloom Day is celebrated across the country on August 7, 2017 to promote use of Khadi among people.
53. The Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has been appointed as the brand ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttar Pradesh. It was recently announced by Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, Yogi Adityanath has also made Kumar's upcoming film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" tax free. The movie stresses on the importance of building toilets and ending open defecation in the country.
54. Sajan from India has bagged a bronze medal in Greco-Roman 74kg class category after defeating Ali Osman Erbay of Turkey by 6-1 at the Junior World Wrestling Championships in Tampere, Finland on August 6, 2017. He is the lone Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to bag a medal at this championship.
55. India's first helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service will be started in Bengaluru, Karnataka for those who cannot afford to spend time battling traffic to travel across the city. The Kempegowda International Airport will become the first airport in India to have this facility. The service will be operated by Thumby Aviation Private Limited and is expected to take off within three months. Initially, the helicopter service will be operated between Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport and the Electronics City area. The travel time will be cut down to 15 minutes instead of the two hours taken by road.
56. The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) is an organization under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) to impart knowledge and skills to the professional foresters and help them to develop competence for managing the country forest and wildlife resources on a sustainable basis. It is located at the New Forest campus of Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Currently, IGNFA is functioning as a Staff College for the officers of the Indian Forest Service (IFS).
57. Paul Kagame, the current president of Rwanda who is ruling the tiny African nation for 17 years, has won the 2017 Rwandan presidential election with 99% of votes. He is the leader of the political party Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR). With this, he secured his third term in office as president and will extend his 17 years in power.
58. Sharada, the veteran actress and national award winner, has been selected for the prestigious Prem Nazir Award for the year 2017. The award will be presented to Sharada by state Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran at a function at Chirayankeezhu on August 15, 2017 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It carries a cash prize of Rs 75,000, a statuette and a citation. The award is instituted by people of Chirayankeezhu, Prem Nazir's home town in the district, in memory of Kerala's evergreen actor. Beside her, Actor T P Madhavan will be presented Rs 50,000 cash award announced by Chirayankeezhu panchayat.
59. The researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have developed a low-cost highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. It is known that Carbon Monoxide (CO) can have adverse effects on the health of people exposed to it. Thus, it becomes necessary to have good, low-cost carbon-monoxide sensors. Typically, a sensor would be a thin, current carrying plate whose resistance changes on exposure to carbon monoxide. This in turn changes the value of the current flowing through it. This change when measured indicates the level of carbon monoxide in the air. The research is published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.
60. The Pampadum Shola National Park (PSNP) is the smallest national park located in the Idukki district of Kerala. It protects a moderate amount of montane evergreen shola forest that is associated with the wildlife rich Eravikulam National Park. Some notable birds found here such as Nilgiri wood-pigeon, white-bellied shortwing, vernal hanging parrot, blue rock-thrush, blue-capped rock-thrush and Nilgiri flycatcher, and black-and-orange flycatchers.
61. The ISRO and NASA are jointly working on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission to co-develop and launch a dual frequency (L & S Band) synthetic aperture radar satellite. This earth monitoring satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2021. In this joint mission, NASA will be responsible for design and development of L-band SAR, 12m un-furlable antenna, GPS system and data recorder. ISRO will be responsible for design and development of S-band SAR, Spacecraft Bus, data transmission system, Spacecraft integration and testing, launch using GSLV and on-orbit operations. It is the first big collaboration between NASA and ISRO.
62. The 8th edition of Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)-2017 will be hosted by India and is scheduled to be held on November 28, 2017. The NITI Aayog in association with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Andhra Pradesh government have been assigned with organising the event. The GES brings together investors and entrepreneurs from around the world to create new opportunities for collaboration. The summit will promote economic growth, inclusion and opportunities among entrepreneurs from across the world, with a special focus on emerging nations from Africa and Asia. The summit was started in 2010 under the leadership of then US President Barack Obama at Washington DC to bring entrepreneurs from across the globe on one platform.
63. Narendra Singh Tomar, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, has recently launched a Swachh Survekshan (Gramin)-2017 in New Delhi to encourage states and districts to improve their sanitation coverage and Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). Under the Swachh Survekshan Gramin, all districts of the country will be ranked on the basis of performance, sustainability and transparency. So far, 4,600 villages and 1.4 lakh households have been covered under Swachh Sarvekshan (Gramin) Survey. The Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has stated that toilet usage have increased to 91% in the country whereas overall toilet coverage in rural India has reached to 66%.
64. The FIBA Asia Cup, which is known as the Asia's biggest basketball tournament, has started in Beirut, Lebanon from August 8-20, 2017. All 16 teams who qualify for the tournament also qualify for the first round of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification for FIBA Asia and FIBA Oceania. Indian men's team, led by Amjyot Singh Gill, is participating in the tournament in group A.
65. Recently, the Union Government has merged National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to improve administrative efficiency and optimal utilisation of resources related to policing. The BPRD Director General (DG) will be the head of the merged new entity, where the NCRB Director, an Additional DG rank post will report to the former. The BPRD is the national police organisation to study, research and develop on subjects and issues related to policing. The headquarters of BPRD is located in New Delhi.
66. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has won the 91st edition of All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament by defeating Bengaluru Hockey Association (BHA) by 4-2 in the final at Mayor Radhakrishna stadium Egmore at Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Man of the match: Rajkumar Pal.
67. In order to promote cruise tourism in India, a special event 'The dawn of cruise tourism in India' has inaugurated in Mumbai, Maharashtra on August 8, 2017. This initiative has a potential revenue gains to all stakeholders of close to Rs. 35000 crore. The promotion of cruise tourism is expected to create over 2, 50,000 jobs. With this new initiative, number of cruise ships visiting India could go up from 158 per year to 955 per year.
68. Amazon India has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana Department of Handloom and Textiles to educate, train and enable weavers and artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country. Amazon India will not only provide an online marketplace for marketing but will also engage with weavers and artisans across the state to train them on making the products more attractive, appealing and marketable across the online domain. The partnership also intends to empower and generate livelihood opportunities and income for the artisans and boost their economy
69. Justice Dipak Misra, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will have a tenure of nearly 13 months. He will succeed Chief Justice J S Khehar, who will retire on August 27, 2017. Justice Misra is known for the judgment on Yakub Memon who made a last minute attempt to escape the gallows. He had rejected his plea for a stay on the death warrant. Memon was convicted in 1993 Mumbai blasts, in which 257 people were killed.
70. The Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (NSBS) is located to the west of Ahmedabad near Sanand Village in Gujarat. it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat and one of the largest in India. It harbors over 250 species of wetland birds such as rosy pelicans, flamingoes, white storks, brahminy ducks and herons.
71. Indian shooter Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad has won a bronze in men's trap event at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun at Astana, Kazakhstan on August 8, 2017. It was his first international medal at the senior level. So far, India has won two golds and a bronze in the competition. Before Chenai, Indian shooter Ankur Mittal clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men's double trap in the championship. Mittal shot 71 in the six-man final to finish at the top of the podium. With scores of Sangram Dahiya (43) and Mohammad Asab (34) added to Mittal's final total, India managed to bag the top prize in the team event also.
72. Prof Sanwar Lal Jat (62), the BJP MP from Ajmer and former Union minister, has passed away in New Delhi on August 9, 2017. He was member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly for five terms. He also served as Minister in the Rajasthan Government thrice. In 2014, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ajmer. He served as Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation till July 2016.
73. India's first micro forest will be built in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Approximately, 19 acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings will be converted into micro forest in order to create an oxy-zone. The micro forest will provide fresh air to Raipur which is the 7th most polluted city in the world. It will reportedly be open to the public in the next 8 months.
74. The 2017 India – ASEAN Youth summit will be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from August 14 to 19, 2017 with theme 'Shared values, common destiny'. This event is being organized in collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and the India Foundation. Over 100 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – will participate in the summit. This forum will enhance people-to-people contacts between India and ASEAN countries.
75. India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj (15) from Merrut has become the India's youngest athlete to be named in the Union Government's Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme. He is among 45 elite athletes, including Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Saina Nehwal, to be selected for the scheme. The TOP scheme elite athletes identification committee, which is chaired by ace shooter and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, selected the athletes after evaluating their performance in relation to the international standard. The purpose of the TOP committee is to identify and support potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under the TOP scheme.
76. 'Rayichapalu' has been officially declared as one of the rarest species of fish in the world by the researchers from the Marine Living Resources Department of Andhra University. The fish is a regular catch for fishermen in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is a colourful fish which is around 97mm in length and lives near the reefs. The researchers stated that this fish has a unique colour pattern with spectacular diamond shaped bands. Reportedly, it is the only fifth fish in this category of size. Now, the tiny colourful fish will have the scientific name 'Pseudathias Vizagensis', after the city where it was first discovered.
77. Indian-origin actor Dev Patel will be honoured with the Asian Game Changer award for 2017 by the Asia Society for making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world. He will be felicitated with the award at a ceremony to be held at the United Nations, New York, in November, 2017. The Asia Society has stated that Patel has turned his attention and star power to philanthropy. His "#lionheart" campaign raised over $2,50,000 in support of India's millions of homeless children. The other honorees include Afghan rapper and activist Sonita Alizadeh, Cambodian environmental activist Leng Ouch, nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop, Japanese casual wear retailer UNIQLO founder Tadashi Yanai, Chinese musician and composer Wu Tong and Jean Liu (President of Chinese company Didi Chuxing).
78. India has been ranked 43rd among 43 nations in the 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI). The list is topped by Norway, followed by Switzerland, Iceland and Sweden. The multi-dimensional index is compiled by Natixis Global Asset Management with support from CoreData Research, a U.K.-based financial research firm. The index ranks 43 countries on the basis of four factors viz. material well-being, health, finances and quality of life. The purpose of the index is to provide a global benchmark for retirees and future retirees so that they can evaluate and compare the suitability of various nations, and plan their retirement according to their expectations and needs.
79. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on August 9 to promote and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.
80. The Keoladeo National Park (KNP) is located in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. It is home to Nilgai, feral cattle, chital deer, wild boar, Indian porcupine, etc. The park is famous avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods, provides grazing grounds for village cattle, and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl hunting ground.
81. The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC countries has started in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 10, 2017. During the two day meeting foreign ministers of member countries will review the progress in identified fourteen areas of cooperation and discuss ways to accelerate cooperation under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) process. The Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is representing India in the meeting and will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the members countries.
82. Rinku Hooda (18) from India has won silver in the F46 javelin throw event at the World U-20 Para Athletics Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland on August 7, 2017. He got disabled as a three-year-old when his left arm got stuck in a paddy-sowing machine. He won his first national level medal in 2013 during a para nationals meet at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Rohtak.
83. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India has launched Android Skill Development programme to impart mobile development training on the Android and Web platform and to improve the quality of mobile app development ecosystem in India. The NSDC is a public-private partnership enterprise under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Under the initiative, NSDC will introduce a specific course with the scope to train developers to create applications for the mobile platform that can be used on smartphone and tablets running on the Android operating system. The NSDC and Google India will also work together to focus on up-skilling Android trainers under the programme.
84. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra from his official residence in state capital Lucknow. The drive will be focusing on cleanliness along the banks of Ganga river and maintain hygiene. The yatra will be organized by the Uttar Pradesh Home Guards and will help in spreading awareness in about 25 districts situated on the banks of river Ganga in the state. It will urge people to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the Ganga river. The drive will be covering a total area of around 1,025 kms and will conclude on September 6, 2017.
85. The Gujarat government has recently issued a tender for power developers to receive cheap coal marked for the state in return for selling coal-based power at less than Rs 2.82 a unit. Through the auction, Gujarat will transfer the coal allocated to power generating stations owned by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation (GSECL) to more fuel-efficient private power plants. With this, Gujarat will become the India's first state to implement coal utilisation between power units. The move is in line with the initiatives of the central government to ensure fuel availability to stressed power plants. The aim is to reduce the cost of fuel for financially ailing distribution companies and ensure effective distribution of domestic coal.
86. The Parliamentary Panel headed by Maj. General (Retired) B C Khanduri has recently tabled its report in Parliament. In the report, the panel has recommended the 100% pension to widow of deceased soldier so that she can take care of her family. The report stated that after the death of a soldier, the pension of the spouse comes down to 60% of his pension. The committee feels that after the death of a soldier, the spouse usually faces severe problems due to the loss of the breadwinner. The committee also recommended that liberalized and special family pensions to be exempted from income tax for the widows of war like counter insurgency situations or on the line of control as is being given to disabled soldiers. The panel also supported the demand of Defence Forces representative should be included in the Central Pay Commission to address the grievances in respect of pay and allowances and their issues.
87. Upendra Kushwaha, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, has launched the NCERT's Web portal for supply of textbooks to schools and individuals at a function in New Delhi on August 9, 2017. The portal will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country and address the concerns of schools and parents, regarding unavailability of textbooks. The Web Portal can be accessed at www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in. The schools will be able to log on to the portal, by entering their respective Boards' affiliation numbers and other details, till 8th of next month for placing their orders for the session 2018-19. Soon, the portal will also be opened to the individual buyers. They can place their orders by login in onto the portal, and books will be delivered at their doorsteps with nominal postal charges. The NCERT textbooks can also be downloaded, free of cost, from its website.
88. Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal (54), who was best known for his acts in Bandit Queen and Peepli Live, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on August 10, 2017. During his lifetime, Panchal worked in films like Peepli Live, Pan Singh Tomar, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Slumdog Millionaire, Jolly LLB 2, etc.
89. The Mandla Plant Fossils National Park (MPNP) is located in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 274,100 square metres. This national park has plants in fossil form that existed in India anywhere between 40 million and 150 million years ago spread over seven villages of Mandla District viz. Ghuguwa, Umaria, Deorakhurd, Barbaspur, Chanti-hills, Chargaon and Deori Kohani.
90. Real Madrid, a professional football club of Spain, has won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup football tournament by defeating Manchester United in the final by 2-1 at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 8, 2017. It is their 4th UEFA Super Cup title.
91. ISRO will soon launch a full-fledged niche Earth observation (EO) satellite called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HySIS) by using a critical chip it has developed. The purpose of the HySIS satellite is to enable distinct identification of objects from about 600 km in space. The Vis-NIR Hyperspectral payload of HySIS satellite is a hyperspectral imaging sensor operating in the visible and near infrared regions of the electronmagnetic spectrum. The Hyperspectral (or hyspex imaging) is said to enable distinct identification of objects, materials or processes on Earth by reading the spectrum for each pixel of a scene from space.
92. The Oxford University Press (OUP) has recently launched online dictionaries in Tamil and Gujarati languages. The launch is a part of Oxford Global Languages (OGL) initiative with an aim to build dictionaries and lexicographical resources for around 100 of the world's languages and to make them available online. Before Tamil and Gujarati versions, the Hindi online dictionary was launched in 2016. Thus, the OGL is a bold initiative from OUP for a modern challenge and a huge opportunity.
93. M Venkaiah Naidu, the former Union Minister, has been sworn-in as 13th Vice President of India on August 11, 2017. He has been administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a special function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He was born on 1st July 1949 at Chavatapalem, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Before being elected to the second highest constitutional post of the country, Mr Naidu has held several positions and carried his successful political career during his three decade long public life. He has served as national president of BJP from 2002 to 2004. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development. In present Narendra Modi led government, Naidu served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting.
94. Veteran journalist T J S George has been chosen for the first Kesari Media Award, instituted by the Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust (KMJT). The award consists of a purse of Rs 50,000, citation and a statuette designed by renowned artist Bhatathiri. The award would be given away at a function in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, which is scheduled to be held on August 13, 2017.
95. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) , the capital and commodity market regulator, has recently allowed Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) to launch India's first gold options contract soon. It will allow investors and hedgers to minimise their price risk at a fraction of cost compared to currently available futures trading. The headquarters of MCX is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
96. Recently, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to close down those technical colleges which recorded less than 30% admissions in the last five years. According to AICTE data, there are around ten thousand three hundred fifty engineering institutions in the country that are approved by the AICTE with a total intake capacity of over 37 lakh students. Out of this, 27 lakh seats are lying vacant. Anil D Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of AICTE, has stated that council has been actively working on reducing the quantity of engineering institutions across the country due to poor demand and falling quality of education. Beside this, the AICTE has also reduced the penalty for closing down the institution that was a deterrent for many colleges which were willing to shut amid poor demand.
97. The International Biodiesel Day (IBD) is celebrated every year on August 10 with an aim to turn the focus to non-fossil fuels. The day also honours the research experiments by Sir Rudolf Diesel who ran an engine with peanut oil in the year of 1893. The Biodiesel is an alternative fuel which can be used in place of fossil fuels. It is manufactured from vegetable oils, recycled grease, algae, and animal fat.
98. India and United States (US) will co-host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES-2017) at Hyderabad from November 28-30, 2017. The summit is a unique opportunity for bringing together entrepreneurs and start ups with global leaders. It will promote economic growth, inclusion and opportunities among entrepreneurs from across the world, with a special focus on emerging nations from Africa and Asia.
99. Davinder Singh Kang from Punjab has become the first Indian to qualify for the final round of the javelin throw at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London. He was under pressure to touch the 83 m in his final attempt and he was the last man to take the throw. He did it in style by sending the spear beyond the qualification mark to the huge relief of the Indian camp. Kang's best effort of 84.22m put him in the seventh position among the final round qualifiers.
100. The Vansda National Park (VNP) is a protected area which represents the thick woodlands of the Dangs and southern Gujarat and is situated in the Vansda tehsil, Navsari District of Gujarat. It is home to important animals such as Indian leopard, rhesus macaque, common palm civet, Hanuman langur and small Indian civet. There are 443 species of flowering plants like teak, sadad, khakhro, kadad, humb, timru, kalam, bamboo, dudhkod, mahudo, behda, umaro, kusum, tanach, asan, shimlo, etc.
101. Uhuru Kenyatta, the current President of Kenya, has officially declared the winner of the 2017 Kenya Presidential election amid allegations of voting fraud by the opposition. According to official figures released by the country's electoral commission, Kenyatta secured 54.27% of the ballots cast, while his rival, Raila Odinga, won 44.74%.
102. Indian Shooter Maheshwari Chauhan has won a bronze at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship to earn India's first women's skeet individual medal in Astana, Kazakhstanon on August 11, 2017. Before that, Maheshwari also led India to the team silver alongside compatriots Rashmmi Rathore and Saniya Sheikh in the tournament. Besides Maheshwari , Indian shooter Ankur Mittal clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men's double trap in the championship. And, Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad won a bronze in men's trap event as well as also won bronze in mixed team trap event with partner Shreyasi Singh in the championship. Now, India's tally stands at two gold, silver and three bronze medals.
103. The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year on August 12 to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The 2017 theme is "Youth Building Peace", which recognizes the contributions of young people to preventing conflict, supporting inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.
104. Milkha Singh, the legendary athlete, has been appointed as the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for physical activity in the South-East Asia Region (SEAR). As goodwill ambassador, he will promote WHO SEAR's Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) prevention and control action plan which seeks to reduce the level of insufficient physical activity by 10% and NCDs by 25% by 2025. Milkha Singh, also known as 'the Flying Sikh', is a Padma Shri awardee and had won medals in athletics in Commonwealth and Asian games.
105. Prasoon Joshi, the famous lyricist, has been appointment as the new chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for a period of three years. He succeeded Pahlaj Nihalani, who has been accused of autocratic conduct and of morally policing films. Joshi is known for putting forth his opinion on contemporary issues. He became more prominent after penning songs for films like Fanaa, Rang De Basanti, Black, Delhi 6 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. He twice won the National Award for Best Lyricist – first in 2008 for 'Maa' (Taare Zameen Par) and then in 2013 for 'Bolo Na' in Chittagong. He also wrote the lyrics for the anthem of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
106. Gerish Khemani and Akshat Nigam have won The Hindu Playwright Award 2017 for their play 'In Search of Dariya Sagar' at the 13th edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest in Mumbai. 'In Search of Dariya Sagar' is a play that brings together public events and private lives, political history and personal memory, in a manner that resonates both the real and the magical. The Rs 2 lakh award, instituted in 2008 to reward the best new unpublished and unperformed play-script in English.
107. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, has launched a nationwide campaign "Gaj Yatra" in New Delhi to protect elephants on the occasion of World Elephant Day (WED). The campaign is planned to cover 12 elephant range states. The World Elephant Day (WED) is celebrated every year on August 12 to focus the attention of various stakeholders in supporting various conservation policies to protect elephants, including improving enforcement policies to prevent illegal poaching and trade in ivory.
108. Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has recently flagged off mobile therapy vans which would provide basic medical assistance to elderly people, widows and other section who requires social security. The therapy vans will be equipped with basic medical apparatus and accompanied by a technical team. The van is an outcome of a joint project of the World Bank and the Bihar government which is run by Social Welfare department.
109. Dr Ruth Pfau (87), a German doctor and nun who dedicated her life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan, has passed in Karachi, Pakistan on August 10, 2017. She was hailed as Pakistan's "Mother Teresa" after her work towards helping people displaced by the 2010 Pakistan floods. Dr. Pfau trained Pakistani doctors and attracted foreign donations, founded Pakistan's National Leprosy Control Programme and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, which has a presence in every Pakistani province. She received numerous awards in Pakistan and Germany including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – Pakistan's second highest civilian award – in 1979, the Hilal-e-Pakistan in 1989 and the German Staufer Medal in 2015. She wrote four books in German about her work in Pakistan, including To Light A Candle, which has been translated into English.
110. The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) is located in Virudhunagar and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu and covers an area 485.2 sq Kms. Over 240+ species of birds are seen in this sanctuary including 14 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats, such as the critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture. In addition to grizzled giant squirrels, the sanctuary is home to numerous animals such as barking deer, bonnet macaque, common langur, elephants, flying squirrels, gaur, Indian giant squirrel, leopard, lion-tailed macaques, mouse deer, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri Tahrs. There are over 220 species of butterflies including many rare and endemic species. Some of the rare butterflies spotted here include Eversheds ace , Silver royal , Orange awlet , Hampsons hedge blue , etc.
111. The Government of India will soon launch a new sub-scheme named "Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)" as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). Initially, AGEY will be implemented in 250 Blocks in the country on pilot basis with each Block provided upto 6 vehicles to operate the transport services. The Self Help Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM will operate road transport service in backward areas. This will help to provide safe, affordable and community monitored rural transport services to connect remote villages with key services and amenities (such as access to markets, education and health) for the overall economic development of backward rural areas. This will also provide an additional avenue of livelihood for SHGs.
112. The Canara Bank has recently launched two digital products: 'Bharat QR', a platform for payment settlement at merchant locations, and Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) is an integrated bill payment system for Net banking customers. The first service is a mobile application, which enables a merchant to accept payments as settlement for sale of goods or services. The second product (BBPS), an initiative of the RBI offers bill payment services to the bank's net banking customers with network of agents.
113. Vijay Nambisan (54), the well-known poet, writer and journalist of India writing in English, has passed away on August 10, 2017. He was the first-ever All India Poetry Champion in 1988 for his poem Madras Central. He co-authored a book of poems 'Gemini' with Dom Moraes and Jeet Thayil. Nambisan passionately championed the ethical use of language and made an appeal to readers, writers and enthusiasts of literature in his monumental book 'Language as an Ethic'. His poetry served keen observations about politics — both internal and external — with gentle wit, often directed at himself.
114. Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, has recently launched Facebook's 'She Means Business' programme in Bhubaneswar to train women entrepreneurs in the state. For this, Facebook has partnered the Odisha's MSME department and Project Mission Shakti to train 25,000 women entrepreneurs and self-help group (SHG) members on digital marketing skills by the end of 2018. After imparting training, Facebook will make a database of entrepreneurs in the state and will monitor their growth, turnover and profit after one year.
115. The 2017 India-ASEAN Youth Summit has started in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on August 14, 2017 with theme of "Shared Values, Common Destiny". The event is being organised by Foreign Ministry, Madhya Pradesh government and India Foundation. The five day Summit has inaugurate by Union Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The exercise will mark the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership in the ongoing year 2017. Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for this event as the Sanchi stupa here strengthens the state's cultural affiliation with the ASEAN countries. Over 175 delegations of youths from Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India are participating in the Summit.
116. The Indian duo of Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Rashmmi Rathore has won a gold medal in the skeet mixed team event at the 7th Asian Championship Shotgun in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 13, 2017. With this, India finished the championship with a total of 8 medals. Earlier, Ankur Mittal had won a gold in the men's double trap and had also helped India bag the team gold in the event. Kynan Chenai won a bronze in the men's trap and also partnered Shreyasi Singh to claim the trap mixed team bronze. Maheshwari Chauhan clinched a bronze in the women's skeet, along with team silver in the event before the men's skeet team picked up another bronze. The results will serve as good encouragement for the 2017 Shotgun World Championships in Moscow, which is scheduled to start from August 30.
117. Yisrael Kristal (113), the world's oldest man who lived through both World Wars, has passed away in Haifa, Israel on August 11, 2017. He was officially recognised as the world's oldest man by the Guinness Book of Records in March 2016. Kristal, a Polish-Israeli supercentenarian, became the world's oldest recognized Holocaust survivor in 2014 and the world's oldest man in 2016.
118. The World Elephant Day (WED) is observed every year on August 12 to focus the attention of various stakeholders in supporting various conservation policies to protect elephants, including improving enforcement policies to prevent illegal poaching and trade in ivory. On the occasion of 2017 WED, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, has launched a nationwide campaign "Gaj Yatra" in New Delhi to protect elephants in the country. The campaign is planned to cover 12 elephant range states.
119. Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has launched 'Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra' on August 14, 2017 to provide job opportunities to unemployed youth in Mumbai. Under this initiative, there are various schemes like farmers weekly market, farmers mobile market and mother's tiffin. These products will be made available with the help of mobile vans all over Mumbai and the information about the location of the vans is made available through an app.
120. The Orang National Park (ONP) is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam and covers an area of 78.81 square kilometers. The park has a rich flora and fauna, including great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, pigmy hog, elephants, wild buffalo and tigers. It is the only stronghold of rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.
121. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the live twitter wall for promoting Bharat Ke Veer portal on the eve of 71st Independence Day. According to an official release, this social media awareness campaign will display all tweets with hashtag Bharat Ke Veer at Connaught Place, CGO complex and Khan Market in New Delhi where huge LED display screens have been installed. This portal facilitates online donation directly to the families of CAPF Martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the country in line of duty from January 2016. The Bharat Ke Veer portal was launched by Rajnath Singh and actor Akshay Kumar on April 2017.
122. Dr Bhakti Yadav (92), the first woman doctor of Madhya Pradesh, has recently passed away in Indore on August 14, 2017. Her life epitomised the power of compassion and service and she is an inspiration for all. Dr Yadav had offered free treatment to patients for last 68 years. She was awarded Padma Shri for her exemplary services in the field of medicine in April 2017.
123. India's first-ever railways disaster management centre is expected to come up near Bengaluru, Karnataka by 2018 and will be used to replicate train accidents to improve rescue operation efforts. It will also have a virtual reality centre for analyzing railway accidents. The focus is on imparting state-of-the-art training on rescue, medical relief and rolling stock restoration techniques in a classroom and also using various simulated teaching aids. Though, it is the practical reproduction of accidents on site and the ensuing rescue operations that are being touted as the big ticket venture.
124. The Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU), which is India's first-ever aviation university, will soon be inaugurated at Fursatganj in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. The central university is planned as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation with an aim to facilitate and promote aviation studies, teaching, training and research. Air Vice Marshal (retired) Nalin Tandon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor.
125. The International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) will be chaired by Bangladesh at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in the Bay of Bengal in November 2017. The ships and aircraft of the members and observers of the IONS including China, India and Pakistan will participate in the exercise. The IONS is a regional forum of Indian Ocean littoral states, represented by their Navy chiefs, launched by India in February 2008. It presently has 23 members and nine observers.
126. Santosh Sharma has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Coper Limited (HCL). Currently, he is Director (Operations) in the HCL. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years.
127. Italy will host a summit of G7 Interior Ministers centered on security issues, which is scheduled to be held in October 2017. The meeting is being organised at the request of Italy's G-7 partners- Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States. Currently, Italy holds the rotating helm of the G-7 industrialised nations.
128. Shashi Shekhar Vempati, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, has been given the additional charge of CEO in Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). Vempati succeeded Gurdeep Singh Sappal, who has been serving as the CEO and editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV since 2011. The RSTV is owned and operated by Rajya Sabha and the Vice-President is its chairman. It covers the proceedings of the upper house of the Parliament. Prasar Bharati runs Doordarshan television and All India Radio (AIR).
129. Sankara Rao has been appointed as the new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL). According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved his appointment to the post for a period of 3 years. Currently, he is the Chief General Manager at IIFCL. Rao is also currently a director and chief executive officer at IIFCL Asset Management Company Ltd.
130. Stephen Wooldridge (39), Australia's former Olympic and world cycle champion, has passed away in Australia on August 14, 2017. The former star team pursuiter won gold for Australia in the 2004 Athens Olympics, was also a four-time world champion in the discipline and the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion. There were no details about when and how Wooldridge died.
131. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently approved the proposal of Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) for the strategic disinvestment. The approval will help in speedy completion of strategic disinvestment transactions. The department will set up an alternative mechanism comprising of the Finance Minister, Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Administrative Department, to decide on the matters relating to terms and conditions of the sale from the stage of inviting of Express of Interests till inviting of financial bid. It will also empower the Core Group of Secretaries to take policy decisions with regard to procedural issues and to consider deviations as necessary from time to time for effective implementation of decisions of CCEA.
132. Preethi Srinivasan, the former State under-19 cricket captain, has bestowed with the 2017 Kalpana Chawla Award for courage and daring enterprise from Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami during the 71st Independence Day celebrations at Fort St. George in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Beside her, the Government of Tamil Nadu has also awarded S.P. Thyagarajan with the APJ Abdul Kalam award for discovering a patented drug to treat hepatitis B.
133. Young Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen has clinched the 2017 Bulgaria Open International Series title after defeating Croatia's Zvonimir Durkinjak in the men's singles final by 18-21 21-12 21-17 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
134. The Desert National Park (DNP) is located near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and covers an area of 3162 km². The park is an excellent example of the ecosystem of the Thar Desert. The sand dunes form around 20% of the Park. It is home to desert fox, Bengal fox, desert cat, wolf, hedgehog, blackbuck and chinkara.
135. Melbourne has been declared the world's most liveable city for the 7th consecutive year by The Economist's annual global liveability survey, despite soaring housing costs and serious congestion challenges. The annual survey assesses 140 cities and ranks them according to their stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Others in the 10 most liveable cities in the world include Vienna (3rd), followed by Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Helsinki and Hamburg. As per the survey, the least liveable city was Damascus at 140th place, followed by Lagos (139), Tripoli (138), Dhaka (137), Port Moresby (136), Algiers (135), Karachi (134), Harare (133), Douala (132) and Kiev (131).
136. India will host the next steering committee meeting of the proposed 1,814 kilometre-long Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-
Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline in New Delhi. The decision was taken during the 6th joint Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation. The benefit of the TAPI project is that it will give an opportunity to India to secure its interest in Central Asia. The project's success will also ensure that India, Pakistan and Afghanistan find ways of cooperating on other issues as well. 137. India's first museum on the Partition of the Indian Sub-continent will soon open in Amritsar, Punjab, which focuses on stories and display memorabilia of survivors. The museum will include newspaper clippings and donated personal items meant to tell the story of how the region's struggle for freedom from colonial rule turned into one of its most violent episodes, as communal clashes left hundreds of thousands of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs dead and another 15 million displaced from their ancestral homes. It will also have 'The Gallery of Hope', where visitors can scribble messages of love and peace. Tickets are priced low at Rs10 for Indians and Rs150 for foreigners.
138. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has conferred the 'best performance award' for 2015-16 and 2016-17 to Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) for its work in the field of credit-linking joint liability groups (JLGs). The KVGB is sponsored by syndicate bank.
139. The Karnataka government and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi have launched 'Indira Canteen' in Bengaluru with an aim to reach out to the poorer sections of the society. The canteens will offer breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at Rs 10 per plate. Of a total of proposed 198 canteens, 101 were launched on August 16, 2017 and the rest would start functioning from October 2, 2017.
140. The book "The Adivasi Will Not Dance" has been authored by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar. It is a mature, passionate, intensely political book of stories, made up of the very stuff of life. Recently, the book is in news because the Jharkhand government has banned the book on the grounds that it portrayed the Santhal women in a bad light. The writer himself belongs to the Santhal adivasi community, which is numerically among the largest indigenous groups. Shekhar won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puruskar in 2015 for his novel 'The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey'.
141. S Paul (88), the veteran photographer, has passed away in New Delhi on August 16, 2017. He was a self-taught photographer who discovered his passion for the art as a teenager. He joined The Indian Express in the 1960s and retired from the newspaper in 1989. Paul received recognition and fame as a professional photographer when his pictures were selected for publication in three renowned British publications — Amateur Photographer, Miniature Camera and Miniature Camera World. B&W Magazine of US had described him as 'The Henry Cartier-Bresson of India'. Apart from other recognitions, Paul was the first Indian to be profiled by The British Journal of Photography in 1967. He was the first Indian to win the Nikon International Photo Contest in 1971. Paul was born on 19 August, 1929 in Jhang, Pakistan. He moved to India after Partition and his family shifted to Shimla. His younger brother, Raghu Rai, is also a renowned photographer
142. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has launched the "Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali" campaign to celebrate pollution-free diwali. Diwali is an integral part of our rich tradition and a festival that embodies joy and happiness. In recent times, the pattern of celebration has changed somewhat and has got associated with excessive bursting of crackers, which contributes significantly to air and noise pollution. As a result, there has been a significant impact on the environment and health of the people. Thus, as a part of the campaign, the Environment Ministry will undertake various activities to create awareness among various stakeholders and encourage people to participate in combating air pollution.
143. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched two mobile Apps namely MyFASTag and FASTag Partner in New Delhi to ensure smooth functioning of the Electronic Toll Collection system. The mobile apps will ease the process and will make it possible to buy or recharge FASTags at the click of a mobile button. Basically, MyFASTag is a consumer App that can be downloaded from the App Store for both Android and iOS systems. A consumer can purchase or recharge FASTags on this App. The app also helps to keep track of transactions and provides for online grievance redressal. While, the FASTag Partner app is for banks and agencies selling the tag. A total of 10 banks, including mobile wallets, provide FASTags.
144. Real Madrid football club has won the Spanish Super Cup for the 10th time with a 2-0 win over Barcelona at a joyous Bernabeu on August 16, 2017 to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory.
145. Sohail Mahmoodm, the senior diplomat, has taken charge as the new Pakistan's high commissioner to India. He succeeded Abdul Basit. The High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi is the diplomatic mission of Pakistan in India. Prior to this, Mahmood served as Pakistan's ambassador in Turkey.
146. The World Photography Day (WPD) is observed every year on August 19 to inspire photographers across the planet to share a single photo with a simple purpose: to share their world with the world. The date of August 19 was chosen to commemorate the invention of the Daguerreotype, a photographic process developed by Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1837. On January 9, 1839, the French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype process. On August 19 that same year, the French government purchased the patent and announced Daguerreotype free to the world as a gift. This event was an important step in the development of modern-day photography.
147. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) has launched its mobile wallet "BSNL Wallet" in partnership with MobiKwik to enable one-tap bill payment for its over 100 million subscribers. This digital wallet was launched at an event by Manoj Sinha, Minister for Telecommunications in New Delhi. The mobile wallet is developed & issued by MobiKwik on behalf of BSNL. It works on both smartphone and feature phones and enables fast online recharges, bill payments, shopping, bus & train booking and many more.
148. The Government of India (GoI) has signed Global Environment Facility (GEF) Grant Agreement with the World Bank (WB) for $24.64 million for Ecosystems Service Improvement Project (ESIP). The project is entirely be financed by the World Bank out of its GEF Trust Fund. The project's duration is 05 years. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) will implement the Project in the States of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh through Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education under the National Mission for Green India. The purpose of the Project is to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Departments of Forestry and Community Organisations to enhance forest ecosystem services and improve the livelihoods of forest dependent communities in Central Indian Highlands.
149. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory censorship and classification body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that regulated the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act. . The headquarters of CBEC is located at Mumbai, Maharashtra. The board consists of non-official members and a Chairman, all of whom are appointed by Central Government. Any Film can be publicly exhibited in the country only after they have been certified by it. Prasoon Joshi, the famous lyricist, is the newly appointment chairperson of the CBFC. Joshi is known for putting forth his opinion on contemporary issues. He twice won the National Award for Best Lyricist – first in 2008 for 'Maa' (Taare Zameen Par) and then in 2013 for 'Bolo Na' in Chittagong.
150. The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PTR) is a protected area located in Chittur taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala and covers an area of 391 square kilometers. It is alos home to lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri tahr, elephants, Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, Nilgiri marten small Travancore flying squirrel, etc. According to recently conducted tiger census at the regional level in 2016, there are 33 tigers in Periyar reserve and 25 in Parambikulam reserve respectively, which is informed by the Forest Minister K Raju in the state assembly on August 18, 2017. It must be noted that as per a tiger census conducted at the national level in 2010, considered as authoritative figure, there were 38 tigers in Parambikulam spread over 643 sq feet area and 34 in Periyar that covers an area of 925 sq feet.
151. The two-day Chief Electoral Officers' Conference of all States and Union Territories has been inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti and Election Commissioner OP Rawat in New Delhi on August 18, 2017. The event is being organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review performance as well as to explore new initiatives and improve the election management and voter experience. The conference stressed on the need of providing E-services to stakeholders and emphasised the requirement to develop E-Payment gateways for various election services of Election commission. It also stressed the need for extensive training programmes on Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) as the ECI has decided to conduct all future elections using it along with Electronic Voting Machines.
152. Arun Jaitley, the Union Minister of Finance, Defense and Corporate Affairs, was the Chief Guest at the National Conference on " Insolvency and Bankruptcy: Changing Paradigm", which was held at Mumbai on August 19, 2017. Besides inaugurating the conference, Jaitley also launched the website for National federation for corporate governance. The one-day National Conference is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG) and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to facilitate the better understanding of intricacies of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)- 2016, share the experiences gained during the initial nine months and also discuss the challenges that need to be overcome.
153. The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has constituted a technical committee for the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which is proposed to be held from November 20-28, 2017 in Goa. The technical committee will have 12 members and will be chaired by Nagesh Kukunoor. The I&B ministry has also constituted a steering committee which will have 13 members, including film director Nagesh Kukunoor, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Jahnu Barua (convener), Piyush Pandey, creative director of Ogilvy & Mather (India), and film director and producer Shoojit Sarcar. The director of NFDC is also a member of the committee.
154. The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year on August 19 to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. The 2017 WHD campaign "#NotATarget" follows the UN Secretary-General's report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which was launched recently. Through a global online campaign, United Nations (UN) in partnership with Facebook Live will raise voices to advocate for the most vulnerable people in war zones, and demand that world leaders do everything in their power to protect civilians in conflict.
155. Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently appointed career diplomat Nikolay Kudashev as Russia's new ambassador to India. The appointment of Kudashev comes nearly seven months after the death of Russia's previous ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin. Kudashev, a specialist in South East Asia, is currently the Deputy Director General Secretariat of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia.
156. The Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University (MITWPU), the first of its kind in India, has recently inaugurated by chief minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in Pune. The purpose of the university is to visualize education through a holistic outlook of knowledge building to establish peace and harmony in the world. Beside this, a two-day 'Global Summit Science and Spirituality for World Peace' was also organised at Swami Vivekananda Mandap at MIT World Peace University to discuss issues of national and international importance and how a different outlook towards education could solve many of them.
157. Tata Power has become the first power utility to introduce a QR code based bill payments system in India. The QR code linked to Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will be printed on the electricity bills. The customers can scan the QR code with BHIM app or any other UPI linked bank app and pay their bills without any hassle. The bill details will be displayed on the app, post which the customer can authorise the payment within a few seconds and his bill will be paid instantaneously. Some of the advantages of QR code service are that the consumer need not visit any Tata Power bill collection/ customer relation centre or any other payment avenues and can make the payment from the comfort of his home/office or on-the-go. The Tata Power Company Limited is an Indian electric utility company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra and is part of the Tata Group.
158. Dr. Mamta Suri has taken charge as Executive Director of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi on August 16, 2017. Before joining IBBI, Dr. Suri was serving as Chief General Manager, Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The IBBI is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities like Insolvency Professional Agencies (IPA), Insolvency Professionals (IP) and Information Utilities (IU) in India. Madhusudan Sahoo is the current chairman of the organization.
159. The 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be held in India from October 6 to 28, which is first-ever FIFA tournament in India. It is in news because the curtain raiser function for FIFA U-17 World Cup was held in Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on August 19, 2017. The trophy for FIFA World Cup was also displayed at the stadium. The objective of the programme was to promote football in India, especially among children and youth.
160. The Periyar National Park (PNR) is a protected area near Thekkady in the districts of Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta in Kerala and covers an area of 925 km2. It is notable as both elephant reserve and tiger reserve. The park is made up of tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests, grasslands, stands of eucalyptus, and lake and river ecosystems. It is surrounded by agricultural regions such as tea, cardamom, and coffee. It is also home to gaur, sambar, wild pig, Indian giant squirrel, Travancore flying squirrel, jungle cat, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, etc.
161. Rahul Doshi (12), an Indian-origin boy, has been crowned as the UK's 'Child Genius' in a popular television quiz competition, after answering all questions correctly. He won the Channel 4 show 'Child Genius' by beating his nine-year-old opponent – Ronan by 10-4 in the programme's finale on August 20, 2017. In the final, Rahul impressed with knowledge of his chosen subject – Edward Jenner's medical innovation and methodology in 18th Century England. He clinched the title by answering a question on 19th Century artists William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais. He has an IQ of 162, which is believed to be higher than the likes of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and qualifies him to be a member of Mensa club – the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world.
162. The Telangana government has recently launched an exclusive 24×7 helpline '181' for women welfare. The helpline will respond to calls on dowry harassment cases, stalking, domestic violence, sale of girl child and immoral trafficking. Women with suicidal tendencies or those who are mentally disturbed can also contact the helpline. Apart from contacting police, the helpline can also be used to seek medical help, ambulance and other emergency services. The helpline will work 24X7 on all 365 days. It is funded by Centre & supported by GVK EMRI.
163. The 8th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress & Expo-2017 has started in New Delhi from August 21, 2017. The theme of the 3-day annual conference is "Renewable Energy: What Works", which focuses on new Green Technologies to ensure clean, reliable and affordable Renewable Energy supplies. It provides an opportunity and open forum to exchange information, share experiences and best practices by bringing together experts, investors and other multi stake holders of i.e. Public and Private Sector, Advisory Groups, Governments, NGOs, Non-Profit organizations Environmentalists and Academia.
164. MK Damodaran (77), the veteran lawyer and former Advocate General of Kerala, has passed away in Kochi, Kerala. He was one of the most popular figures at the Kerala High Court and was well known for defending the Naxalites during the late '60s and early '70s. He was expert in both criminal and civil cases and was jailed during the Emergency period 1975-77.
165. The Assam government will launched a new Scheme called Scheme for Compassionate Family Pension (CFP) in lieu of Compassionate Appointment. As per officials, the existing compassionate appointment policy did not fully serve the objectives and often the legal heir fails to get an appointment immediately due to practical difficulties such as lack of educational qualifications and non-availability of vacancies within the stipulated 5% of total vacancies. The new scheme will be applicable to those employees who died in harness on or after April 1, 2017, but the relevant office memorandums related to the compassionate appointments will be applicable to those who died on or before March 31, 2017. The new scheme will be applicable to all employees of the state government, all others as eligible under Assam Services (Pension) Rules, 1969, all state government employees under NPS category and All India Services officers borne on Assam cadre.
166. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has been selected for the prestigious National Agriculture Leadership Award-2017 by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) under the chairmanship of well known agriculture scientist Prof MS Swaminathan. Rao. The Chief Minister has been selected for the award for his innovative services rendered to the welfare of farmers and the farm sector. The award will be presented on September 5, 2017 at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi.
167. Jerry Lewis (91), the famous comedian and Filmmaker, has passed away in Las Vegas, United States. He was one of the most popular comic actors of the 1950s and '60s' and was known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He perfected not only the role of the quirky clown but also won acclaim as a writer, actor and philanthropist in a career spanning six decades. He became the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, chalking up hits such as The Bell Boy, Cinderfella and The Nutty Professor.
168. The book "I am HIV positive, so what?" has been authored by journalist Jayanta Kalita and published by Bloomsbury. The book is based on the life of Manipur's acclaimed bodybuilder Khundrakpam Pradip kumar Singh, who is known for his struggle against HIV-AIDS. The book speaks of the incredible journey of the Pradip, who mended his failing health, overcame psychological trauma, and fought stigma and discrimination to pursue his dreams. He won the Mr. South Asia title and bagged bronze in the Mr World contest in 2012.
169. The Mrugavani National Park (MNP) is located at Chilkur in Hyderabad, Telangana State and covers an area of 3.6 square kilometers. It is home to Cheetal, Sambar, Wild boar, Jungle Cat, Civet Cat, Mongoose Monitor Lizard, Python, Russell Viper, King Cobra, etc., and has 600 different types of plant life.
170. The World Mosquito Day (WMD) is observed every year on August 20 is to raise awareness about the threat of malaria and other diseases transmitted by one of the world's deadliest killers – the mosquito. The day also marks the historic discovery by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans and that laid foundations for scientists across the world to better understand the deadly role of mosquitoes in disease transmission and come up with effective innovative interventions.
171. Para Athlete Devendra Jhajharia and Hockey player Sardar Singh have been selected for the 2017 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, Women Cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur and shooter P. N. Prakash are among the 17 sportsmen who will be given Arjuna Awards for their outstanding performance. Seven persons have been chosen for Dronacharya Awards for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events. They include late Dr. R. Gandhi in Athletics, Brij Bhushan Mohanty in Boxing and P.A. Raphel in the field of hockey. Dhyan Chand Award will be given to Bhupender Singh in Athletics, Syed Shahid Hakim in Football and Sumarai Tete in Hockey for their life time contribution to sports development.The awardees will receive their awards from the President Ram Nath Kovind in a special function at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2017.
172. Recently, the Union Ministry of Defence has granted additional administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to speed up the construction of roads along the Indo-China border. With this, from now, a chief engineer in BRO can now accord administrative approval for contracts of up to Rs50 crore, the additional director general (ADG) can approve projects worth up to Rs75 crore and the director general (DG) can take decisions on projects worth up to Rs100 crore. These projects can be implemented through departmental and contractual modes of execution. The BRO is functioning under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015 and is engaged in road construction to provide connectivity to difficult and inaccessible regions in the border areas of the country. Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
173. Dharmendra Kumar, IPS (AGMU:84), has been appointed as the new Director General of Railway Protection Force (RPF). Presently, he is working in CISF as Additional DG. The appointment of Kumar will be effective from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The RPF is a security force of India entrusted with protecting railway passengers, passenger area and railway property of the Indian Railways .This is the only central armed police force (CAPF) which has the power to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminals. The force is under the authority of Ministry of Railways.
174. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union Ministry of Health has inked a pact with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to collaborate on vaccine research and development. With this partnership, India will commit an annual contribution of $5,00,000 to IVI and joins Sweden and South Korea as financially contributing signatories to IVI. In addition, ICMR will be focussed on research and development of vaccines combatting various infectious diseases. As per official statement, the IVI has 35 signatory countries and India officially became a signatory in 2012. The IVI is an international nonprofit organization i.e. devoted to developing and introducing new and improved vaccine to protect the people, especially children, against deadly infectious diseases. The headquarters of IVI is located in Seoul, South Korea. The ICMR is the apex body in the country for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.
175. Bulgarian weightlifter Velichko Cholakov (35), an Olympic and world medalist, has passed away in Smolyan, Bularia on August 20, 2017. He took +105 kg bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics and silver in the same division in the 2003 world championships. He was part of the Bulgarian team pulled from the Beijing 2008 Games after failed dope tests. Cholakov was one of 11 members of the contingent to test positive for a banned anabolic steroid. In recent years Cholakov dedicated his time to training young weightlifters in Smolyan.
176. Prakash Javadekar, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), has recently launched 'Swasth Bachche, Swasth Bharat' Programme. The programme is an initiative of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to prepare a physical health and fitness 'Profile Card' for over 12 lakh Kendriya Vidyalaya students. The programme will provide a comprehensive and inclusive report card for children of all age groups and differently-abled kids. The programme aims to make students, teachers and parents aware of the importance of good health and fitness and encourage '60 minutes of play' every day. The programme also intends to imbibe values of Olympics and Paralympics among students.
177. The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has recently constituted a 40-member 'preview committee' with filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri as its convenor to select movies for the 2017 International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The other members of the new committee include Pallavi Joshi, Narendra Kohli, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Aarti Bajaj, Khalid Mohamed, and film director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The 2017 IFFI will be held in Panaji, Goa from November 20 to 28. Earlier, the I & B Ministry had constituted the steering committee and the technical committee for the IFFI.
178. The Karnataka Government has recently launched an ambitious clouding seeding Project Varshadhari in Bengaluru to deal with poor monsoons in the state. Under the project, an aircraft will spray chemicals to induce rainfall. The purpose of the project is to condense small water particles by clouds (size less than 10 microns) to droplets of 50 microns, which can constitute rains. It is an experimental project that will cover Bengaluru, Gadag and Yadgir districts of the state. The Cloud seeding (also known as weather modification technique) is an artificial way to induce moisture in the clouds so as to cause a rainfall.
179. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched digital police portal under Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project (CCTNS) on August 21, 2017. The portal is a smart policing initiative to provide services to citizens and aid efficient police investigation. It is a platform for citizens to file online crime related complaints and also request for antecedent verification. The portal will also provide access to authorized persons to use National Database of crime records for the purpose of investigation. In addition, central investigating and research agencies have also been provided logins to the portal to access crime statistics. Till date, the CCTNS national database has around seven crore records of old and new criminal cases.
180. The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is located in Bishalgarh, Tripura and covers an area of 18.53 square kilometres. It is famous for its clouded leopard enclosures. It is woodland with an artificial lake and natural botanical and zoological gardens. It gives shelter to about 150 species of birds and the unique bespectacled monkey, Phayre's langur. The sanctuary has been developed both as a wildlife sanctuary and as an academic and research centre.
181. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has launched the Mentor India Campaign in New Delhi on August 23, 2017. The campaign is a strategic nation building initiative to engage leaders who can nurture and guide students at more than 900 Atal Tinkering Labs. The labs are dedicated workspaces where students from Class 6th to 12th learn innovation skills and develop ideas that will go on to transform India. The Atal Tinkering Labs have been established across the country as a part of the Atal Innovation Mission. The aim of campaign is to maximize the impact of the labs.
182. Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, has chaired the 17th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi on August 22, 2017. The Council discussed the issues and challenges facing the Indian economy and stressed the need to keep constant vigil to manage any external and internal vulnerability. The Council noted that India has macro-economic stability today on the back of improvements in its macro-economic fundamentals, structural reforms with the launch of the GST and long-term positive consequences of demonetization. The FSDC also took note of the developments and progress made in setting up of Computer Emergency Response Team in the Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) and Financial Data Management Centre. The meeting was attended by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, SEBI Chairman Ajay Tyagi, IRDAI Chairman TS Vijayan, PFRDA Chairman Hemant Contractor, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, and other government officials.
183. Ashwani Lohani, an officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), has been appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board after AK Mital tendered his resignation following recent train accidents. Presently, Lohani is serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India. Earlier, he served as the Divisional Regional Manager of Delhi and was also ITDC chairman as well as the director of the Rail Museum in the capital.
184. Rishang Keishing (96), the former Manipur Chief Minister and a member of the first Lok Sabha, has passed away in Imphal, Manipur on August 23, 2017. The veteran Congress leader and a Naga served as the chief minister of Manipur from 1980 to 1988 and from 1994 to 1997. The Manipur government has declared that all government offices and educational institutions will be closed on August 24 as mark of respect to Keishing.
185. The 58th edition of Subroto Cup International Football Tournament has started in New Delhi. A total of 99 teams from India and abroad are participating across three categories in this edition of famous inter-school football tournament. Teams from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Afghanistan and Singapore are participating in this edition. The one month long football carnival will be played in three categories Sub-Junior boys (Under-14), Junior Girls (Under-17), Junior Boys (Under-17). This season seems to be more promising with a special emphasis on "BETI-BACHAO, BETI-PADHAO, BETI-KHILAO". Some of the key highlights of this edition will be special awards in different categories, an increase in cash awards, and special initiatives like Delhi Darshan for participants.
186. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in New Delhi to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation. The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations in telecom and broadcasting regulation. The agreement will facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas.
187. Brian Aldiss (92), one of the most prolific and influential science fiction writers of the 20th century, has passed away in Oxford, England. Aldiss served in India and Burma with the British Army during World War II and later became a bookseller, publishing his first stories in a trade magazine. He was the author of science fiction classics including Non-Stop, Hothouse and Greybeard and Helliconia trilogy. His numerous short stories include Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, formed the basis for Steven Spielberg's 2001 film "AI", while his Horatio Stubbs saga was based on his time during the war in Burma and the far east.
188. The National Sports Museum will be established in New Delhi that will showcase India's achievements in sports and also focus on the traditional sports within the country. The purpose of the Museum is to popularise the sports as a way of life within the country. The union Sports Ministry has stated that the proposed Museum would go beyond the classical approach of a collection of memorabilia to become an interactive venue of interest for all age groups. In addition, it will display achievements of the Indian greats in sports and also act as an educational hub and offer opportunity for the young to delve into some sporting activity. The Museum will have audio-visual display of rules and legacy events pertaining to various sports as part of education for the budding sportspersons and a well-equipped library of sports and physical fitness.
189. Recently, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhhas chaired the 42nd annual general body meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) on August 22, 2017. The meeting approved the annual report and audited accounts of the NMML society for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. During the meeting various issues including up gradation and renovation of museum, digitization of documents, acquisition of books in regional languages and setting up of a museum for former Prime Ministers, were discussed. The NMML is a museum and library in New Delhi that aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement.
190. The Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park (KBRNP) is located in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, Telangana and covers an area of 390-acre. The park is also known as Chiran Fort Palace. The park has over 600 species of plant life, 140 species of birds and 30 different varieties of butterflies and reptiles. It is home to pangolin, small Indian civet, peacock, jungle cat, porcupines, etc.
191. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has declared right to privacy a fundamental right under the constitution on August 24, 2017. A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution. The ruling on the highly contentious issue was to deal with a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing the benefits of various social welfare schemes. Others members of the bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, R F Nariman, A M Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, S K Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer also shared the same view. The nine judges unanimously overruled the two earlier judgements of the apex court that right to privacy is not protected under the Constitution.
192. The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is observed every year by UNESCO on August 23 to pay tribute to all those who fought for freedom, and, in their name, to continue teaching about their story and the values therein.
193. Microsoft has launched its 'Project Brainwave' deep learning acceleration platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI). With the help of ultra-low latency, the system processes requests as fast as it receives them. The 'Project Brainwave' uses the massive Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) infrastructure that Microsoft has been deploying over the past few years. The real-time AI is becoming increasingly important as cloud infrastructures process live data streams, whether they be search queries, videos, sensor streams, or interactions with users.
194. The first edition of Miss Transqueen India, a beauty pageant for transgenders, will take place in Gurugram, Haryana on August 27, 2017. Like other beauty pageants, the contestants will have to go through swimming costume, traditional wear, evening gown and question-answer rounds. The winner will go to Thailand for Miss International Queen and the first runner-up will compete at Miss Transsexual Australia.
195. Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, has launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme through the net-metering system at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar in a bid to enable public participation to harness renewable energy. The State government will provide 30% subsidy to the consumers belonging to residential and institutional segments as well as to registered societies and trusts. At present, current investment for installation of a rooftop project is around Rs 70,000 per KW. The web portal "www.rtsodisha.gov.in" was also launched that will provide an opportunity to the stakeholders to interact with customers for timely delivery of services online. Under the programme, consumers can instal solar plants on their rooftops and consume the generated solar power during day time. Excess power can be sold to the grid at 220 v/440 v levels through service cables. The program is being implemented by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA).
196. The Karnataka Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with software giant Microsoft India to develop a unique "farm price forecasting model" using latest IT tools in a bid to help farmers, administrators and other stakeholders to understand the market behaviour in advance. The proposed initiative is said to be the first-of-its-kind in the country as it is a multi-variate one that takes into consideration various factors beyond the conventional supply-demand equation while forecasting the prices for crops. It will examine a slew of related factors including weather, rainfall and external factors that impact market behaviour. The model is expected to be in place for major crops by next kharif crops.
197. The 2017 International Military Music Festival "Spasskaya Tower" has started in Moscow, Russia on August 24 and will continue till September 3, 2017. The Indian Navy Band "Tri- Services" is participating in the fest. It is the parade of the best military music bands of Russia and other countries that takes place every year at Red Square in Moscow. This Music Festival is a mega event, where military musicians represent the variety of national, artistic and military traditions of the world. Every year about 1500 musicians, military men and other artists from around 40 countries perform at the "Spasskaya Tower". The Festival is duly considered one of the largest international events in Russia and attracts tremendous response of the general public.
198. The Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) is located in Latehar District of Jharkhand and covers an area of 1,129.93 square kilometres. Apart from tigers and elephants, leopards, gaurs, sambars and wild dogs live in the reserve. It forms part of Betla National Park and Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary.
199. Rajiv Bansal, the 1988 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India for three months. Bansal, who is additional secretary and financial adviser at the petroleum ministry, will replace Ashwani Lohani — who has been appointed as the Chairman of Railway Board. It must be noted that Bansal is taking over as Air India CMD at a time when the government is working on the modalities for the disinvestment of the loss-making national carrier. He had served at the civil aviation ministry between 2006 and 2008.
200. The 9th meeting of heads of Governments of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on disaster prevention and relief has started at Choplon Ata in Kyrgyz Republic on August 24, 2017. The 2-day meeting will focus on prevention and elimination of emergency situations. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is leading the Indian delegation which includes senior officers from Home and External Affairs Ministries and National Disaster Management Authority. The participation of India as SCO Member will open additional opportunities for giving new impetus to the development of international cooperation in the field of protecting the population and territories from emergency situations within the framework of the Organisation.
201. Sushma Swaraj, the Union External Affairs Minister, will inaugurate India's first Videsh Bhavan on August 27, 2017 at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As a first pilot project, four offices of MEA – Regional Passport Office (RPO), Protector of Emigrants (PoE) office, Branch Secretariat and Regional Office of ICCR – have been assimilated and brought under one roof at the state-of-art office. The pilot project of the Videsh Bhavan of Mumbai is part of the Centre's policy to bring together different offices of the MEA under a single roof and work closely with states as more and more Indians are going abroad for employment, education, business and tourism. In other words, the "Videsh Bhavan" at Mumbai is the first integrated office complex of the Ministry of External Affairs established in any State of India.
202. Andhra Pradesh's Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution Corporation of AP Ltd. (SPDCL) have become the India's first state-owned distribution companies to accept payments through Bharat QR. The Bharat QR is the world's first interoperable quick response code acceptance solution launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It is secure, network-agnostic interface that enables customers to use their smartphones to make payments without divulging information like card numbers and CVV. To pay power bills via Bharat QR, customers must log in to their bank's app and scan the QR code on their electricity bill for instant payment. Alternatively, they may enter their unique customer IDs online and generate a QR code that can be scanned using their bank's app.
203. Nandan Nilekani, the Infosys co-founder and the architect of Aadhaar, has been appointed as the new non-executive chairman of the board of directors of Infosys. The sweeping changes have been made to the board in an attempt to restore stability after the resignation of Vishal Sikka as CEO, and a bitter rift between Narayana Murthy and the board came to the fore. Nilekani's appointment will allow Infosys to focus on the strategic changes it needs to make in order to capitalize on the attractive opportunities in the years ahead. Nilekani served as Infosys's CEO from 2002 to 2007.
204. Tony de Brum (72), the former Marshall Islands foreign, has passed away in Majuro, Marshall Islands on August 22, 2017. He was the leading advocate for the landmark Paris Agreement and an internationally recognised voice in the fight against climate change. de Brum also fought against nuclear weapons and for his nation's independence.
205. The Union Cabinet has recently increased the 'creamy layer' ceiling for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category to Rs 8 lakh per annum from the existing Rs 6 lakh for central government jobs. With this, those in the OBC category earning up to Rs 8 lakh per annum would now get reservation benefits.
206. The Haryana government will organize Digital Haryana Summit (DHS) in Gurugram on September 15, 2017 to discuss issues like digital governance, smart living in cities and villages, citizen partnership, entrepreneurship, skilling and geo-governance and sustainability, among others. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will be partner for this event and the summit would be organised as a part of the state's Swarna Jayanti celebrations. The purpose of the summit is to bring together different stakeholders and develop a singular agenda for the digital transformation of Haryana, in line with the Digital India initiative.
207. The book "I Do What I Do" has been authored by Rahguram Rajan, the former RBI governor. This book conveys what it was like to be at the helm of RBI in those turbulent but exciting times. Rajan explains economic concepts in a readily accessible way. Equally, he addresses key issues that are not in any banking manual but essential to growth: the need for tolerance and respect to assure India's economic progress, for instance, or the connection between political freedom and prosperity. The book is published by HarperCollins India and will be launched in Chennai on 4th September 2017, exactly a year after Rajan quit as RBI governor.
208. Sanjivani Jadhav from India, a marathon runner from Nashik, has clinched silver medal in the women's 10,000-metre at the 29th World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan on August 24, 2017. Earlier, she won a bronze in the 5000 metres at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in July 2017.
209. According to 2017 report by the United Nations World Tourism (UNWTO), the island of Tuvalu was the least visited country in 2016. Only 2,000 people ventured to the South Pacific paradise of Tuvalu in 2016. The latest report reveals that there are 15 least-visited countries globally. Kiribati is the 2nd least visited country, followed by Sao Tome and Principe, Montserrat, Comoros, Djibouti, San Marino, Timor-Leste, Liechtenstein, Sierra Leone, Anguilla, Moldova, Bangladesh, Bhutan and French Guiana.
210. The Murlen National Park (MNP) is located in the Champhai district of Mizoram and covers an area of 200 square kilometres. The tropical, semi-evergreen and sub montane Forests of Murlen are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. It is home to the tiger, leopard, sambar, barking deer, Malayan giant squirrel, Hume's pheasant, etc. About 15 species of mammals, 150 species of birds, 35 species of Medicinal plants, 2 species of bamboos, and 4 species of orchids so far have been recorded in this Park.
211. The Kerala government has recently launched a new 'E-Waste Disposal' scheme in its state schools with an aim to process the electronic waste in the IT labs, offices and stores. Through this scheme, over 1 crore kilogram of e-waste from over 10,000 schools and offices will be scientifically recycle, and the funds earned through this e-waste disposal will be used to buy new computers for the same institutions. The E-waste includes old monitors, mouses, keyboards and UPS, among other things that have been lying unused since 2000 in the state. The programme is a joint initiative of Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), formerly IT@Schoolproject and Clean Kerala Company.
212. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has recently conferred the Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence for the year 2016 to Prof Digambar Behera. Behera is senior professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. Beside this, Prof Prasanta Mohapatra, a professor at the University of California, was also conferred this award for 2015. The award was instituted by Odisha Bigyan Academy (OBA) and is given to any Odia scientist working anywhere in India or abroad each year for his/her lifetime research contributions in the field of science and technology.
213. The first edition of Rural Games or Grameen Khel Mahotsav will kick-start from Delhi and will take place between 28th August to 3rd September 2017. The purpose of the Rural Games is to popularize the indigenous games like wrestling and athletics and will also have fun games like Matka Race, Tug of War for senior citizens. In the first stage, the games will be held in Alipur, Mehrauli, Nangloi, Najafgarh and Shahadara where ten thousand youngsters will participate. The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will also launch sports talent search portal. The portal will enable any person from across country to upload his information and as per that the Ministry will tap their talent and train them further in their respective disciplines.
214. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed committee on Household Finance has recently recommended that banks should link their home loan rates to the RBI's repo rate, the rate at which it lends to banks. The committee, whose recommendations are not binding, suggests that this will allow for better and more transparent transmission of interest rates in the economy to individuals. As per recommendations, banks should quote loans to customers using the RBI repo rate rather than based on their own MCLR rates. This would make it easier for customers to compare rates at the time of purchase. The committee was chaired by Dr Tarun Ramadorai, who is Professor of Financial Economics, Imperial College Business School in London. The committee has also recommended that all banks use the same reset period of one month for loans. Under the current system, floating rate loans have a fixation period of roughly one year. The report argues that the current system impedes monetary transmission mechanism and does not allow borrowers to immediately benefit from interest rate drops.
215. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has recently signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (ICAN) to establish mutual co-operation for the advancement of accounting knowledge, professional and intellectual development, advancing the interests of their respective members and positively contributing to the development of the accounting profession in Nepal and India. ICAI has a membership base of over 5,000 members in Nepal. The ICAI was established on July 1, 1949 as a statutory body under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 enacted by the to regulate the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India. Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
216. Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, will officially launch the Sports Ministry's much- awaited National Sports Talent Search Portal at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on August 28, 2017. The portal will provide a three step simple process for registration, profile creation and upload of achievements. Approx 1000 kids will be selected and they will receive scholarships of Rs 5 lakh per year for eight years. It will be available in English and other regional languages so that it is easier for any boy or girl who is talented in a particular sport to upload his or her achievements from any part of the country. The portal will also be available as App which can be downloaded on smartphones.
217. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, has constituted a task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for India's economic transformation. The 18-member panel, headed by Dr. V. Kamakoti of IIT Madras, will comprise of experts, academics, researchers and industry leaders. It will explore possibilities to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development across various fields. In addition to regular members, it will have official participation from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Science & Technology, UIDAI and DRDO. The task force will submit concrete and implementable recommendations for government, industry and research institutions.
218. Jay Thomas (69), the well-known comic and character actor, has passed away in California, United States. In addition to playing Eddie LeBec in "Cheers", Jay played obnoxious TV talk show host Jerry Gold on "Murphy Brown" from 1989 until 1998, and also had his own sit-com, "Love and War", from 1992 until 1995. He was also a regular guest on David Letterman's talk show during the festive season.
219. The Chitwan National Park (CNP) is located in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal and covers an area of 932 square kilometres. The park is considered to have the highest population density of sloth bears with an estimated 200 to 250 individuals. It is also home to golden jackals, fishing cats, jungle cats, leopard cats, large and small Indian civets, Asian palm civets, crab-eating mongooses and yellow-throated martens.
220. Saina Nehwal from India has won bronze in the 2017 women's singles World Badminton championships (WBC). In the first women's singles semi-final at Glasgow, Nehwal lost to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in three games 12-21, 21-17, 21-10. It must be noted that Okuhara is the first shuttler from Japan to reach the finals of World Championship. Apart from this, Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu from India has won 2nd Women's Singles semi-final by defeating Chinese Chen Yufei 21-13 21-10 on August 26, 2017 and reached at finals of the World championship.
221. Indian football team has won the 2017 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-15 football Championship by defeating Nepal by 2-1 in the final at Kathmandu in Nepal on August 27. Vikram Pratap Singh was declared best player of the championship. India won all four matches in the championship. In the league matches, India beat Maldives by 9-0 and host Nepal by 2-1. In the semifinal India defeated Bhutan by 3-0. India scored 16 goals and conceded just two.
222. Japanese shuttler Nozomi Okuhara has won the 2017 women's singles World Badminton championships (WBC) by defeating P V Sindhu in the final by 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. With this, Sindhu had to settle for silver in the championship. Earlier, Saina Nehwal ended her campaign with a bronze. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced cash award of Rs 10 lakh for Sindhu and Rs five lakh for Saina following their medal winning performances at the world Championships. Sindhu, who had won bronze twice in the 2013 and 2014 editions, became only the second Indian to win a silver medal after Saina Nehwal had achieved the feat in the last edition at Jakarta in 2015.
223. Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium on August 27, 2017.
224. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has officially launched the Union Sports Ministry's much-awaited National Sports Talent Search Portal at a function in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on August 28, 2017. The portal will enable any person from across country to upload his information and as per that the Ministry will tap their talent and train them further in their respective disciplines. The portal will provide a three step simple process for registration, profile creation and upload of achievements. Around 1000 children will be selected and they will receive scholarships of Rs 5 lakh per year for eight years. The portal will be available in English and other regional languages so that any boy or girl can upload his or her achievements from any part of the country. The portal will also be available as App which can be downloaded on smart phones.
225. Justice Dipak Misra has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will have tenure of nearly 13 months. He succeeded Chief Justice J S Khehar. Justice Misra was enrolled as an Advocate in 1977 and practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service and Sales Tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court in 1996 and became permanent Judge in December, 1997. He also served as the Chief Justice of Patna and Delhi High Courts. In 2011, Justice Misra was elevated as a Judge in the Supreme Court.
226. The 2nd edition of Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 31, 2017 with theme "Peace, progress, and prosperity". The 2-day conference is being co-hosted by the India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, in collaboration with RSIS, Singapore, and NIFS, Colombo — both research and study centers. The representatives from around 35 countries are expected to participate in the event. From India, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will participate in the conference. The conference will also be attended by officials from the USA, Australia and Germany among others.
227. Dhruv Garg, an Indian-origin boy from Wokingham in south east England, in the United Kingdom (UK) has got the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test that placed him in the top 1% people in the world who achieved this feat. Garg, who goes to Reading School, a grammar in Berkshire, has also been developing an app to combat social isolation by helping lonely people meet up. The app connects people who live in the same area who want to meet new people. Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. Membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ in the top two per cent of the population, measured by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.
228. The Spice Digital Limited (SDL) has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to process bill payments as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) in the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). The BBPS is a RBI conceptualised system driven by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It is a one-stop payment platform for all bills providing an interoperable and accessible "Anytime Anywhere" bill payment service to all customers across India with certainty, reliability and safety of transactions. The headquarters of the Spice Digital is located at Noida in National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCR). The company provides Telco Solutions, Value Added Services (MVAS), Enterprise Solutions, Financial technology, GSP and Digital transformation products and services. It is a subsidiary of listed entity S Mobility, which has diversified interests in telecom space.
229. The Indian Institutes of Technology, Bombay and Indore, have jointly developed a biosensor that makes it possible to detect kidney disorders in less than 8 minutes. The biosensor can accurately measure both the pH and urea concentration with a single drop of urine. The researchers who developed it say that it will help make a point-of-care test to determine whether the kidneys are functioning normally. The biosensor is made by encapsulating an enzyme urease and a molecule FITC-dextran in alginate microspheres. The combination glows in response to a chemical reaction with urea and changes in pH when urine is added. The fluorescence reduces when the pH is acidic and increases when it is alkaline. The changes in fluorescence intensity are measured, which helps to calculate the values of pH and urea. Thus, it will help make a rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostic test for kidney disorders.
230. The Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWLS) is located at a distance of 15 km from the city Abohar in the Fazilka district of Punjab and spread over 186.5 sq km area. It is a unique open sanctuary which encompasses 13 revenue villages. The sanctuary is known for highest number of black bucks, besides other protected species. Its 100-m diameter area is termed as Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). It is home to several varieties of flora and fauna such as Acacia nilotica, Azadirachata indica, Blue Bull, Porcupines, Hare and Wild Boar.
231. The National Sports Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 29th August to mark the birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. On this occasion, in 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind has confered Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. The Khel Ratna Award is honoured for the players spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years at international level. The Arjuna Awards are given to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports while the Dronacharya Award is sports coaching honour.
232. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen in China's Fujian province to attend the 9th BRICS summit, which will be held from September 3-5, 2017. Subsequently, the Prime Minister will pay a State visit to Myanmar from September 5th to 7th. This will be Prime Minister Modi's first bilateral State visit to Myanmar. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold discussions with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on matters of mutual interest and also call on President U Htin Kyaw. Apart from his engagements in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, Mr Modi will visit Yangon and Bagan.
233. Ahmed Khan (90), legendary footballer and Olympian, has passed away in Bengaluru on August 27, 2017. He is best remembered for his role in the 1948 Olympics in London, where India lost its first-round match in heartbreaking fashion to France but made a deep impression on the public. He was also part of the Indian sides that won gold at the Asian Games of 1951 and went to the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, will be remembered as a gifted inside-left who mesmerised spectators with his ball control. Khan was also known for being an East Bengal legend and was a part of the famous 'Pancha Pandavas' of red and gold. The other four were Venkatesh, Saleh, Appa Rao and Dhanraj.
234. The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) has organized its first Synergy Conference on Defence Pensions in New Delhi on August 28, 2017. The conference was attended by all Defence Pensioners Associations and was open to all Defence Pensioners. The purpose of the conference was to obtain feedback from the pensioners that would help the department to serve them better with constantly improving systems and procedures. Digitization of pension data and implementation of a pensions app were also discussed in detail.
235. India and Germany has recently signed pact on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme – Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC). The main purpose of this programme component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energy. As per the pact, both the countries will work on improving market mechanisms and regulations for integration of renewable energies, advancing technical and institutional conditions in specified target states, regions and on a national level, adding human capacities to handle systemic (strategic, managerial, financial, technical) renewable energies integration in an efficient and effective manner.
236. The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) has become the world's first derivatives exchange to launch diamond futures contract. Initially, the contracts are launched in size of 1 carat with compulsory delivery. This will create an entirely new market for the diamond players where sellers can deliver their certified diamonds to different buyers.The launch will also lead to efficient price discovery based on demand and supply and a nationwide market participation. Till date, over 100 members and around 4,000 clients have registered with the exchange. The exchange will offer a fair, transparent and nationwide market, bringing in large market participation into diamond trade. It will result in efficient price discovery and provide an effective hedging platform for all stakeholders. The new exchange will be able to make a meaningful contribution towards further development of commodity markets.
237. The Nungthaang Tampak village in Manipur has become North-East (NE)'s first 100% computer literacy village. The training program was organised by Mangaal Rural, an NGO working for rural development, as a part of the Digital India program and is affiliated to All India Society for Electronic and Computer Technology (AISECT). Kerala's Chamravattom village is the India's first 100% computer literate village.
238. Ashish kumar Chauhan has been re-appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for the period of 5 years from November 2, 2017 to November 1, 2022. For this, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently gave its approval to re-appoint Chauhan as MD and CEO of the company for next 5 years.
239. The Government Nepal has launched the world's first climate-smart snow-leopard management plan to safeguard this endangered species of snow leopard and its habitat. The Nepal's conservation plan addressed key current and emerging threats to snow leopards including climate change and will be used as a model for other range countries to adopt. It was discussed in the 2017 International Snow Leopard Summit and Ecosystem Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where world leaders hold critical talks to strengthen previous commitments to safeguard the future of the snow leopard and its habitat.
240. Lawachara National Park (LNP) is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Maulvi Bazar District of Bangladesh and covers an area of 12.5 km2. It is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. There are 460 species, of which 167 species are plants, 4 amphibian species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species, 20 mammal species, and 17 insect species. The park is considered of critical importance because the last viable population of critically endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons survive here.
241. Kolkata-based Nitasha Biswas has been crowned India's first-ever Miss TransQueen 2017 in Gurugram, Haryana. Currently, Biswas is pursuing Masters in Business Management in Kolkata, West Bengal. Loiloi Haorongbam from Manipur became the first runner-up, while Ragasiya from Tamil Nadu was the second runner-up. Now, Biswas will represent India at the Miss International TransQueen in Thailand, one of the most prestigious international pageants for the transgender community, in March 2018. And, Loiloi will compete at Miss Transsexual Australia. The event was judged by a panel of eight comprising social activists, actors, beauty experts and media professionals.
242. The International Day against Nuclear Tests (IDANT) is observed every year on August 29 to raise public awareness about the effects of global nuclear weapon tests 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. The purpose of the day is to end nuclear testing and to promote peace and security.
243. After Kalpana Chawla, Jasleen Kaur Josan has become the 2nd Indian Women and first Sikh women to be selected by NASA for the Mars Expedition happening in 2030. The Orion Mission will be the first man mission to Mars, which is on track to take place in 2030. The candidates were selected from around the world. The 2020 MARS Mission is a one-way mission where the group inhabiting Mars will not return back to planet Earth. However, Jasleen is part of the two-way mission which is set to happen in 2030.
244. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched the world's first IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility will help ensure a steady supply of low enriched uranium for countries' nuclear power programmes. The bank is owned and managed by IAEA. It is the first of its kind LEU bank not to be under control of any individual country. The IAEA LEU Bank will be a physical reserve of up to 90 metric tons of low enriched uranium suitable to make fuel for a typical light water reactor, the most widely used type of nuclear power reactor worldwide. The LEU Bank will serve as a last-resort mechanism to provide confidence to countries that they will be able to obtain LEU for the manufacture of fuel for nuclear power plants in the event of an unforeseen, non-commercial disruption to their supplies. The LEU can be used to make enough nuclear fuel to power a large city for three years.
245. The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) is the technology transfer and commercialization arm of the Union Ministry of Science & Technology. Its primary objective is to help develop and promote technologies developed at various national R&D institutions. Recently, it is in news because the organization has won the 2017 ASSOCHAM Services Excellence Award and its CMD Dr. H Purushotham won an international recognition. The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) Sweden honored Dr. Purushotham with the IAAM Medal 2017 for his outstanding R&D contributions in the Advanced Materials Science & Technology during its award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.
246. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently informed that India and Canada have mutually agreed to jointly issue a set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps on the theme Diwali. The joint stamps will be released on September 21, 2017, as per MoU signed between the postal departments of the two countries. In this joint issue, the theme "Diwali" has been selected as it is a cultural theme for both the countries and also considering the large presence of Indian Diaspora in Canada.
247. Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief Minister, has launched the Startup Yatra programme in Lucknow on August 30, 2017. Beside this, the government has also launch a mobile application and a call centre for startups. As per programme, the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 15 thousand per month and maximum Rs 10 lakh rupees in a year to those who will begin startups. For this, the state government will soon sign MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Under this policy, the government will appoint one person in each district of the state who with the use of technology will develop a brand product and connect it with the concerned district.
248. Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has inaugurated the YUVA – a skill development programme and an initiative by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on August 29, 2017. The initiative will engage street children and youth, providing them with opportunities to hone their skills and utilise it professionally through skill development training. For YUVA initiative, Delhi Police has tied up with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing mass job linked skill training for the selected youth. The NSDC will provide skill training to the youth under PMKVY and CII will provide job linked training through its Sector Skill Councils who are connected to industry and thereby provide job guarantee.
249. Gobindobhog rice from Burdwan district of West Bengal has recently got the Geographical Indication (GI) status. As a result of getting the GI tag, rice from other regions or rice of other varieties cannot be branded as 'Gobindobhog'. Hence, the marketability of the rice would be strengthened, for the local, national and international markets. The region of Burdwan (now divided into the districts of east and west Burdwan) is known as the rice bowl of Bengal. This variety of rice is primarily cultivated in east Burdwan district – in the southern basin of the Damodar river in the Raina 1, Raina 2 and Khandaghosh blocks. The south Damodar belt has been the traditional area of Gobindobhog rice cultivation. The rice has several advantages. It is cultivated late and therefore not much affected by rains. It is less prone to pests as well. The productivity per area is high and farmers get better prices for Gobindobhog rice.
250. Sumiteru Taniguchi (88), the prominent nuclear disarmament campaigner and peace activist, has passed away in Nagasaki, Japan on August 30. He was the survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki and a prominent activist for a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, and chairman of the Nagasaki Council of the A-Bomb Sufferers. He was 16 when the atomic attack happened, and was about 1.8 kilometers away from ground zero when the bomb hit. He suffered severe burns on his back. He appealed for the support of survivors and elimination of nuclear weapons throughout his life. Ten years after the bombing, Taniguchi formed a group with other survivors who experienced the ordeal.
251. Rajiv Mehrishi, the former home secretary, will be the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will replace the present incumbent Shashi Kant Sharma who completes his term on September 30, 2017. Meanwhile, three senior bureaucrats were appointed as Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General. They are Ashwini Attri, Anita Pattanayak and Ranjan Kumar Ghose.
252. Sushma Swaraj, the Union External affairs minister, is leading the Indian delegation at the Indian Ocean Conference 2017 (IOC 2017), which is started in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 31, 2017. The theme of the conference is "Peace, progress, and prosperity". The 2-day conference is being co-hosted by the India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank, in collaboration with Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore and National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Colombo. The conference will see participation from around 35 countries and have speakers from 25 countries.
253. Rajiv Gauba, A 1982-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has recently taken charge as the Union Home Secretary after incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retired from service. He will have tenure of two years. As the Union home secretary, he will have to handle issues like internal security, militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, Maoist problems in the central and east India besides other issues. Earlier, Gauba was serving in the Home Ministry as Officer on Special Duty. Prior to this, Gauba was Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development. He also represented India on the board of International Monetary Fund (IMF) for four years.
254. Dr. R.K. Raghavan, a 1963 cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus and is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Raghavan, who was Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director from January 1999 to April 2001, had investigated high profile cases like Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case, 2000 South Africa cricket match fixing, 2002 Gujarat riots. Prior to this, he was the director-general of Tamil Nadu's State Vigilance Directorate from 1993 to 1999. He oversaw probe into corruption cases against AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa. After his retirement, Raghavan was also corporate security adviser with Tata Consultancy Services and served as consulting adviser to O P Jindal's Board of Management.
255. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H into the orbit by the rocket PSLV C39 from the Satish Dhavan Space Centre at Sriharikotta, Andhra Pradesh on August 31, 2017. Though, the IRNSS-1H mission was failed as heat shield did not open up for the deployment of the satellite. The IRNSS-1H was a part of the indigenous navigation system called 'NavIC,' that was initially planned to have a constellation of seven satellites. NavIC system is equivalent to the GPS service, having footprint over the whole of India and about 1500 kilometers from its borders on all sides. It helps user agencies to plan and monitor their vehicular movement on the road and on the sea. It can alert fishermen while approaching international maritime boundaries and help public to locate precisely the addresses they require.
256. The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd., has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934. With this, Ujjivan SFB has attained the status of a Scheduled Bank. This status will enhance the market acceptability of the bank in its effort to garner institutional deposits at a competitive price and participate more actively in the inter-bank market. It also opens the door for issuing Certificates of Deposits (CDs), which will be an important source of funding. Currently, Ujjivan SFB has 65 full-fledged brick and mortar branches in eight states and two Union Territories. It plans to convert 160 existing branches and 29 new Unbanked Rural Centres (URCs) by the end of FY 2017-18 and the remaining branches will be converted over a period of two years in line with RBI approval. The headquarters of Ujjivan SFB is located in Bengaluru.
257. The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have successfully created an implantable bioartificial pancreas model grown within a 3D silk scaffold. The bioartificial pancreas, which encapsulates insulin-producing cells, is capable of naturally producing insulin in a sustained manner. If successful in animal and human trials, it can be used for treating people with type 1 diabetes. The silk scaffold was found to be biocompatible (not toxic to living tissue) as it did not trigger any immune reaction or cause any adverse reaction when implanted. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. The results were published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
258. The Tanintharyi National Park (TNP) is located at the Tenasserim Hills, Myanmar and covers an area of 2072 km2. The main purposes of the park are habitat conservation. It is home to Sambar Deer, Asian Elephant, Barking Deer, Serow, Red Goral, Malayan tapir, tiger, Leopard and a number of bird species.
259. The 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue was held at New Delhi on August 30, 2017. The Indian delegation was led by Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs of India, while the European Union side was led by Pawel Herczynski, Director for Security Policy of European External Action Service (EEAS). Both sides agreed to strengthen institutional linkages between Indian agencies and their European Union counterparts including Europol for closer interaction and cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. They also agreed to identify relevant training programmes for capacity building of individuals on both sides working in the sphere of countering terrorism and violent extremism. Prospects for deepening counter-terrorism cooperation under the UN and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were also emphasised. The 11th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue will take place in Brussels in 2018 on a mutually convenient date.
260. Sunil Arora, a 1980 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner (EC). The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes the charge. Presently, Achal Kumar Joti is the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) & Om Prakash Rawat is the other Election Commissioner. Arora is the former Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Re: August 2017, Current Affair’s
On Sat, Sep 9, 2017 at 4:03 PM, Academy for competitive examinations <aceicsagra@gmail.com> wrote:
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