Current Affairs 19 August 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 19 August 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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Top 25 Current Affairs of 19 August 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Centre extended Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS) 2.0 by 3 months till Nov 11, 2020

i.On August 17, 2020, the Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS) 2.0 which was launched on May 20, 2020 as a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan has been extended by three months i.e. till November 11, 2020 in order to widen the coverage to include a larger number of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), housing finance companies (HFCs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs)
ii.With regard to portfolio level, the maximum headroom permissible for purchase of bonds and CPs (Commercial paper), rated AA/AA-, by PSBs under the Scheme is also extended to 50% from the earlier 25% (i.e. Rs 11,250 crore).
<<Read Full News>>

Manduadih Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh to be renamed as ‘Banaras’: MHA

i.On August 17, 2020, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the renaming of Manduadih Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh (UP) as ‘Banaras’.  In 2019, Former Union Minister Manoj  Sinha had written to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting the change in name of the Manduadih Railway Station. 
ii.Manduadih is a place in Varanasi situated about four kilometres from Varanasi Cantonment Station. 
About Uttar Pradesh:
Capital – Lucknow
Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
Governor – Anandiben Patel
<<Read Full News>>

President gives Nod for Renaming of HRD Ministry to Ministry of Education

i.On August 17, 2020, In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind amended the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 by Government of India (Allocation of Business) Three Hundred and Fifty Sixth Amendment Rules, 2020, thereby, changing the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) as Ministry of Education. 
ii.This renaming of ministry was among the key recommendations of the draft new National Education Policy (NEP), which was also cleared by the Union Cabinet in July 2020.
About Ministry of Education:
Union Minister– Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Dhotre
<<Read Full News>>

India, UAE hold 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation

i.On 17th August, 2020 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation was held virtually.  
ii.Expanding economic partnership  was the key agenda of the meeting.
About UAE:
Capital – Abu Dhabi 
President – Khalifa Bin Zayel Al  Nahyan
Prime Minister – Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Currency – UAE Dirham (AED)
<<Read Full News>>

India ranked 1st in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming: MoA&FW 

i.In accordance with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), India ranked first in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming. Notably, Sikkim was the first state in the world to become completely organic and other states including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set targets to be on the same line.
ii.In 2015, two dedicated programs namely Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) were launched to encourage chemical free farming.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar
Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare– Parshottambhai Rupala
MoS for Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare– Kailash Choudhary
<<Read Full News>>

Dr Harsh Vardhan addressed CII Public Health Conference; India Healthcare Week (Aug 17-21, 2020) launched

i.On August 17, 2020, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare; Science & Technology and Earth Sciences virtually addressed the inaugural session of the two-day long CII Public Health Conference, where he inaugurated “India Healthcare Week” with the theme “Redefining Healthcare Ecosystem” from 17th – 21st August 2020. 
ii.The week has been initiated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy).
iii.Along with CII India Healthcare Week, a 3 year-long CII TB free workplaces campaign to ensure TB free workplace was also launched.
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

UAE-Israel agreed for peace agreement namely “Abraham Accord”

i.On August 17, 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates have agreed for the Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement, or the Abraham Accord to establish full diplomatic ties. In this regard, Israeli will halt further annexation of Palestinian lands.
ii.This announcement was made by the United States (US) President Donald John Trump, who acted as mediator of this agreement.
About Israel:
Capital– Jerusalem
Currency– Israeli Shekel
About United Arab Emirates (UAE):
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency– United Arab Emirates dirham
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

Muthoot Finance Partnered with Kotak Mahindra General Insurance to Offer COVID-19 Insurance Cover Against Gold Loan

Muthoot Finance has partnered with Kotak Mahindra General Insurance to offer COVID-19 insurance cover of up to Rs 1 lakh under the initiative Muthoot Finance Ayush Gold Loan. The cover will be available only for the customers who avail gold loan from Muthoot Finance under the Muthoot Super Loan(MSL) scheme.
Key Points
i.Along with this cover Muthoot Finance is also offering a higher per gram lending rate for Gold Loan for its MSL scheme gold loan customers.
ii.This cover is as a part of Muthoot Finance ongoing customer loyalty programme and social commitment.
About MSL:
i.It is a type of gold loan offered to customers who want to get a higher loan amount against gold.
ii.Its customers also get the benefit of discounts due to timely repayment of the loan.
About Muthoot Finance:
Head Office- Kochi, Kerala
Chairman– M.G. George Muthoot
Managing Director– George Alexander Muthoot
About Kotak Mahindra General Insurance:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer– Mahesh Balasubramanian

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Flipkart signs MoU with IIT Patna for Industry Focused Research

i.On 18th August 2020, Flipkart signed a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna to support the industry focused applied research in the fields like Artificial Intelligence(AI), Natural Language Processing(NLP) and Machine Learning(ML).
ii.The MoU aims to create industry focused applied research to support the reach of e-commerce to more consumers and sellers.
About Flipkart:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Kalyan Krishnamurthy 
Head Office– Bengaluru, Karnataka
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Akshay Kumar Ranked 6th, the only Indian Actor in the List, Dwayne Johnson tops: Forbes’ list of ‘The Highest-Paid Actors 2020’

As per the Forbes’ list of highest paid actors for the year 2020, Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar ranked 6th with his estimated earnings of USD 48.5 million and is the only Indian features on the list comprising top 10 actors. The list is topped by Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson for the consecutive second time, with an estimated net worth of USD 87.5 million followed by Ryan Reynolds(USD 71.5 million) and Mark Wahlberg(USD 58 million).

• Akshay kumar was in 4th spot in last year’s(2019) same list.

Forbes List

Other Actors in the list
i.The 4th rank was secured by Ben Affleck (USD 55 million) followed by Vin Diesel (USD 54 million).
ii.The 7th rank was secured by Lin-Manuel Miranda(USD 45.5 million), followed by Will Smith(USD 44.5 million),  Adam Sandler(USD 41 million) & Jackie chan (USD 40 million).
Key Info– As per Forbes, most of the actor’s income came from product endorsements. 
Additional  Info– The list of highest-paid female actors will be released next month.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS         

Satya Pal Malik Appointed as Governor of Meghalaya; Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari given Additional Charge of Goa

i.Ram Nath Kovind, President of India appointed Satya Pal Malik, Goa Governor as  the Governor of Meghalaya. 
ii.Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was given the additional charge as Governor of Goa. 
iii.Satya Pal Malik replaced Tathagata Roy who completed his 5 year term by serving as governor of Tripura for 3 years and remaining in Meghalaya.
About Goa:
Capital– Panaji
Bird Sanctuary– Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
About Meghalaya:
National Park– Balphakram National Park, Nokrek National Park
Chief Minister– Conrad Kongkal(K) Sangma
<<Read Full News>>

Rakesh Asthana IPS, appointed as the Director General of the Border Security Force

On 17th August 2020, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of Rakesh Asthana, Gujarat cadre IPS officer of 1984 batch as the Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF), along with the Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till 31st July 2021– the date of his superannuation.his superannuation date.
About Border Security Force(BSF):
Director General– Rakesh Asthana
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

DBS Bank India Ltd Appointed Prashant Joshi as MD and Head of National Distribution

DBS Bank India Ltd  has appointed Prashant Joshi as Managing Director(MD) and Head of National Distribution. He will report to Surojit Shome, Managing Director and CEO of DBS Bank India Limited.
About Prashant Joshi
i.Prashant Joshi  prior to joining DBS Bank India Ltd served as a  Chief Operating Officer in IndoStar Capital Finance and was responsible for setting up the SME(Small and Medium Enterprises) and affordable housing finance business. 
ii.In addition to this, he also managed the Operations & Technology platforms for all businesses.
iii.Earlier to IndoStar Capital Finance, he worked with Deutsche Bank for eight years and was responsible for creating a successful retail banking franchise
iv.He started his career with ICICI Limited and Rabo India Finance (a Rabobank subsidiary)
About DBS Bank India Limited:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD and CEO– Surojit Shome 

Cricketer Rohit Sharma Appointed Oakley’s Brand Ambassador in India

Indian Limited-overs Team Vice-Captain Rohit Sharma has been appointed as Brand Ambassador of Sports eyewear brand, Oakley for a period of two years in India
i.With this partnership, Rohit Sharma will sport Oakley Sports eyewear on and off the pitch.
ii.He has  joined the likes of  Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and model Milind Soman who have endorsed the brand in the past
iii.Ben Goss, Oakley global brand director announced the appointment of Rohit  Sharma as Brand Ambassador through a press statement.

   SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

MoTA: Launched Tribal Health & Nutrition Portal – “Swasthya” and Opened National Overseas Portal & National Tribal Fellowship Portal

i.Union Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the first of its kind e-portal “Swasthya”, a tribal health and nutrition portal.
ii.V.P. Joy, opened the National Overseas and National Fellowship portal for inviting online applications for the academic year 2020-21.
iii.Renuka Singh Saruta, MoS for Tribal Affairs released “ALEKH”, the quarterly e-newsletter.
iv.The MoTA recognised Piramal Swasthya as the Centre of Excellence for Knowledge Management (CoE for KM) for Health and Nutrition.
About Ministry of Tribal Affairs:
Union Minister– Arjun Munda
Minister of State– Renuka Singh Saruta
<<Read Full News>>

Nitin Gadkari Launched VedKrishi.com an Online Farm to Fork Service Promoted by Farmers

i.On 17th August 2020, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) launched VedKrishi.com, an Online Farm to Fork Service, over a virtual platform. The portal is promoted by the farmers for selling toxic free farm produce.
The platform was set up by the VedKrishi Farmer Producer Company, Nagpur based farmer producer Company.
ii.The online portal enables the company to directly connect the farmers with the consumers.
About Ministry of MSME:
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari
Minister of State– Pratap Chandra Sarangi
<<Read Full News>>

SPORTS

England Cricketer Laura Marsh announces retirement

On August 13, 2020 England Spinner Laura Alexandra Marsh announced her retirement from all forms of Cricket. In December 2019, she announced retirement from International Cricket, and now has retired from Domestic Career as well. 
i.Laura Marsh was part of the England women’s cricket team which won the Women’s 50-Over Cricket World Cup(ODI’s) in (2009 & 2017) & Twenty20 World Cup in 2009. 
ii.Laura Marsh has scalped 23 wickets at 23.13 from her three 50-over World Cups, finishing as leading wicket-taker during England’s triumphant 2009 campaign and featuring in five games when England regained the trophy on home soil at Lord’s in 2017
iii.The 33-year old Off Spinner has represented England in 9 tests, 103 ODIs & 67 T20Is. 
iv.She has played for Sussex, Kent in the Domestic Circuit and represented Sydney Sixers in Australian Big  Bash League. 

OBITUARY

Hindustani Classical Vocalist & Padma Awardee Pandit Jasraj Passed Away at 90

Pandit Jasraj, an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Mewati gharana ( a musical apprenticeship tribe of Hindustani classical music) passed away at 90 in his home in New Jersey, New York, United States(U.S.) due to cardiac arrest. He was born on  January 28, 1930 in Pili Mandori, a village in the Hisar district of Haryana.

• He is a recipient of the Padma Shri (1975), Padma Bhushan (1990) and Padma Vibhushan (2000).

Key Info about Pandit Jasraj
Unique Style & Technique
i.Though he belonged to the Mewati gharana, he sang khayals with some flexibility, adding elements of lighter styles, including the thumri.
ii.He created a novel form of jugalbandi called Jasrangi that is styled on the ancient system of moorchhana, between a male and a female vocalist, who each sing different ragas at the same time.
iii.He was known for presenting a variety of rare ragas including Abiri Todi and Patdeepaki.
iv.He had also worked to popularise semi-classical musical styles, such as Haveli Sangeet.
Films– He had  sung classical and semi-classical compositions for film soundtracks
Awards & Honours- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award(1987), Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram (2008), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2010) and Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music Life Achievement Award (2013) among others.

British Tennis Great Angela Buxton dies at 85

On August 17, 2020 Angela Buxton, the former British tennis player and two-time Grand Slam Doubles champion and Equal Rights Pioneer, died at the age of 85.
Angela Buxton was the doubles partner of Althea Gibson, who was the first Black person to win a major title in 1956. Angela Buxton & Althea Gibson together won the doubles titles at French Open and Wimbledon in 1956. Buxton also reached the singles final at Wimbledon that year but lost in the finals to American Shirley Fry. 
Racism:
i.Angela Buxton, who was of Jewish heritage faced anti-Semitism throughout her career. She was refused access to training facilities and was denied admission in the All England Club in 1956.
ii.At the end of 1957 season, at the age of 22, Angela Buxton retired from the game of Tennis due to Tenosynovitis.
Hall of Fame:
i.Buxton was one of the first to be inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, in 1981
ii.Buxton was also inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015 to honor her for her doubles partnership and friendship with Althea Gibson and also for her efforts to  raise funds for the ailing Althea  Gibson near the end of her life. 
Books:
Buxton wrote the tennis books Tackle Tennis This Way, Starting Tennis, and Winning Tennis and Doubles Tactics.

Inventor of Pixel & Computer Scientist, Russell Kirsch passed away at 91

On 11th August, 2020 Russel A. Kirsch, the computer scientist credited with inventing pixel passed away at the age of 91 at his home in Portland, Oregon, United States. Pixels, the digital dots used to display photos; video and computer screens were invented by Russell Kirsch in 1957.He scanned the world’s first digital photograph.

About Russel Kirsch:
i.He was born in Manhattan, United State of America (USA) in 1929, as the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary. 
ii.He attended the Bronx High School of Science, continued his education in New York University, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) and worked for five decades as Research Scientist at U.S.  National Bureau of Standards.
Invention of Pixel:
i.Kirsch created a small, 2-by-2-inch Black and White digital image of his son, Walden. It was among the first images ever scanned into a computer, using a device created by his research team in the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now known as National Institutes of Science and Technology)
ii.His invention helped NASA with its early  space explorations, including Apollo Moon landings and paved the way for  future imaging technologies such as satellite imagery, CT scan and others.

STATE NEWS

Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Launches UPI-based Payment facilities in Village, Ward Secretariats

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the digital payment services through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in 15, 004 village and ward secretariats through video conference. 
i.The Government of Andhra Pradesh has entered into a tie-up with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and Canara Bank for this digitalisation process. 
ii.The new payment system will  ensure instant, secure and contactless payments to the rural people of the state.
About Andhra Pradesh:
Capital – Amaravathi
Chief Minister – Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
Governor – Biswabhusan Harichandan
<<Read Full News>>

Anil Mukim, Gujarat Chief Secretary gets 6 Month Extension

The Central government has approved the proposal of the Gujarat Govt to extend the tenure of 29th Gujarat Chief Secretary, Anil Mukim for 6 months(i.e., from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021) in view of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. He was due to superannuate on August 31, 2020. 

•  He was appointed as Chief Secretary of Gujarat in November 2019, succeeding JN Singh, who retired in November 2019. 
• N Singh had also been granted a 6 month extension.

Note– The extension orders were issued in this regard.
About Anil Mukim
i.He is a  1985 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS)  officer of Gujarat cadre.
ii.Prior to his appointment as Gujarat Chief Secretary, he was on a 3 year central deputation as Union Mines secretary.
iii.Earlier to this he served as additional chief secretary General Administrative Department till February 2016.
iv.He also served as municipal commissioner Ahmedabad and has headed the finance, revenue, health and family welfare departments in Gujarat. 
About Gujarat:
National Park– Blackbuck National Park, Gir Forest National Park, Marine Gulf of Kutch park, Vansda National Park
Airports– Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Surat International Airport, Vadodara Airport(international).

Gujarat Names Two Flyover of Ahmedabad After Late Arun Jaitley & Sushma Swaraj

Chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) Standing Committee, Amul Bhatt announced that in Gujarat two flyover bridges of Ahmedabad city will be named after late Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. 

• The flyover bridge at Income Tax circle, Ahmedabad will be named as Arun Jaitley Flyover.
• The flyover at the Anjali cross road will be named Sushma Swaraj Bridge.

Other Bridges:
i.The railway over bridge in the Ranip, Ahmedabad will be known as the Atmanirbhar Gujarat Railway Flyover.
ii.The flyover in Bapunagar will be known as Maharana Pratap flyover.
iii.The Hatkeshwar flyover will be known as Chhatrapati Shivaji flyover.
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister– Vijay Rupani
Governor– Acharya Devvrat
Capital- Gandhinagar

Jharkhand introduced new State Logo at Ranchi 

On 14th August 2020, Draupadi Murmu, governor of Jharkhand and Hemant Soren Chief Minister of Jharkhand introduced the New State emblem at the Aryabhatta Auditorium, Ranchi. The Logo came into effect from 15th August 2020.

• The new circle shaped emblem incorporates and represents the progress of the state along with the traditions, cultural heritage and flora and fauna of the state.
• The logo represents reflects the real spirit of the state.

Key People:
Rabindra Nath Mahto, speaker of the assembly, Shibu Soren, Member of Parliament(Rajya Sabha) and other officials were present at the event.

The design of the new emblem:
i.The new logo holds the national emblem- Ashoka at the centre with ‘Satyameva Jayate’ etched below .It represents cooperative federalism which is encircled with green coloured rings representing the greenery of the state and symbolises happiness and prosperity.
ii.The inner circle exhibits the motifs of dance representing the cultural heritage, tradition, musical instruments, folklore and dance of the state.
iii.The second ring in the logo depicts white elephants, which symbolizes the natural wealth and prosperity of the state. The elephant is also Jharkhand’s state animal.
iv.The third ring showcases state flower Palash, reflecting the beauty of Jharkhand. Besides, the red colour in the flower is also a symbol of revolution, which reflects the struggle of people of the state.
National Parks in Jharkhand:Betla National Park,Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary,Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary,Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary,Singhbhum Elephant Reserve.

AC GAZE

Dream11 wins IPL title sponsorship rights

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has awarded the title sponsorship rights of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 to fantasy cricket league platform Dream11 with an average bid of Rs 234 crore per year(222 crore for the first year, Rs 240 crore & 240 crore for 2nd & 3rd year respectively) after Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo exit from Sponsorship.IPL 2020 is to be held in UAE(United Arab Emirates) from September 19 to November 10, 2020.

Soumya Swaminathan honoured with Tamil Nadu CM’s special award

Soumya Swaminathan ,Chief Scientist of World Health Organisation(WHO) has received Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s(CM’s) special award on the 74th Independence Day celebration at Fort St George, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in recognition for her advisory role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the state ,while the Chief Minister’s Best Practices award was bagged by the Department of Treasuries.

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