Current Affairs 21 August 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 21 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 21 August 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Cabinet Approvals on August 19, 2020

On August 19, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals:
i.Cabinet approves setting up of National Recruitment Agency to conduct Common Eligibility Test; Rs. 1517.57 cr sanctioned
ii.Cabinet approves proposal for leasing out three airports – Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram of AAI through PPP
iii.Cabinet approves FRP of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for the sugar season 2020-21 at Rs 285 per quintal
iv.Cabinet approves liquidity measure in the Power Sector amid financial stress caused by COVID-19
<<Read Full News>>

NSC, JCI Sign MoU for Supply of Certified Jute Seeds to Farmers in 2021-22

i.On 19th August, 2020 National Seeds Corporation (NSC) and Jute Corporation of India (JCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the production and productivity of raw Jute in the country.
ii.The MoU was signed virtually in the presence of Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani.
About NSC:
Chairman, Managing Director – Vinod Kumar Gaur
NSC Quality Control Laboratories – New Delhi, Secunderabad, Bhopal & Suratgarh
About JCI:
Chairman, Managing Director – Ajay Kumar Jolly
Headquarters – Kolkata
<<Read Full News>>

Report of NCRP 2020: Cancer in India may rise from 13.9 Lakh in 2020 to 15.7 lakh in 2025

i.On 18th August 2020, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Centre for Disease Informatics & Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru released a new Report of National Cancer Registry Programme 2020. 
ii.The report estimates that cancer in India will rise by 25% in 2020 and may rise 12% from the 1392179 cases in 2020 to 1569793 cases in 2025 and tobacco related cancers are estimated to constitute around 27% of all cancers.
iii.The report contains data of 5 years (2012-2016) from 28 Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs) and 58 Hospital Based Cancer registries (HBCRs) working under NCRP.
About Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR):
Secretary & Director General– Dr. Balram Bhargava
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

IIT Roorkee, BIS Sign MoU to Cooperate in Standardisation and Conformity Assessment

i.Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and Bureau of India Standards (BIS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration in areas of Standardisation and Conformity Assessment based on equality and reciprocity. 
ii.The collaboration will include several fields like Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Earthquake Engineering, Development and Management of Water Resources and Renewable Energy Projects, Infrastructure Development, Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology biomaterials.
About IIT Roorkee:
Director – Professor Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi
State – Roorkee, Uttarakhand
<<Read Full News>>

L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Signed MoU with NTPC Ltd for CO2 to Methanol Demonstration Plant

i.L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with power utility major NTPC Ltd(formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited), a Maharatna PSU. ii.As per the MoU LTHE will be the engineering, procurement and construction management partner to build a carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol demonstration plant in NTPC Power Station. 
iii.Under this MoU, LTHE and NTPC will further collaborate to accelerate the development and then commercialise CO2-to-methanol plants.
About LTHE:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Independent Non-Executive Chairman– Vikram Singh Mehta
CEO & MD– Mr. Subramanian Sarma
About NTPC:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman & Managing Director(CMD)– Gurdeep Singh
<<Read Full News>>

NRDC and NAL Partners to Establish Incubation Centre for Startup in Aerospace Technologies

On 19th August 2020, The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), partnered to establish an innovation cum incubation center to promote the startup in the field of aerospace technologies.
About National Research Development Corporation (NRDC):
Chief Managing Director– Dr. H. Purushotham
Location– New Delhi 
About National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL):
Director– Dr. Jitendra J. Jadhav
Location– Bengaluru, Karnataka
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Ranked 57th in Digital Quality of Life 2020, Denmark tops: DQL Index 2020 by SurfShark

i.In accordance with the 2nd edition of global research “Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2020”  released by online privacy solutions provider SurfShark, India ranked 57th out of 85 countries in terms of overall category “Digital Quality of Life 2020” with 0.5 index points which has been topped by Denmark with 0.79 points.
ii.The DQL Index 2020 analyzes 85 countries around the world covering 6.3 billion people or 81% of the global population in terms of five core pillars: internet affordability, internet quality, e-infrastructure, e-security, and e-government, and results are premised on 12 different factors.

<<Read Full News>>

India and Israel Signed Cultural Agreement to Strengthen Bilateral Relations to Promote People to People Exchange

i.On 20th August 2020 India signed a cultural agreement with Israel, which outlines a three year programme of cooperation for 2020 to 2023, to strengthen the strategic bilateral relations through promoting the people to people exchange.
ii.Gabi Ashkenazi, Foreign Minister of Israel and Sanjeev Singla, India’s Ambassador to Israel signed the agreement at the foreign Ministry in Israel.
iii.This is one of a series of agreements which will be followed by the signing of a water agreement by our Ambassador in India.
About Ministry of External Affairs:
Union Minister– Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (Elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat)
Minister of State– V. Muraleedharan
About Israel:
Prime Minister- Benjamin Netanyahu
President– Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin
Capital– Jerusalem
Currency– Israeli Shekel
<<Read Full News>>

The ILO’s “Youth and COVID-19: Impacts on Jobs, Education, Rights and Mental Well-being”: 50% of World’s Youth Are Under Anxiety or Depression 

On 11th August 2020, the United Nations(UN)’s International Labour Organization (ILO) published the survey report titled “Youth and COVID-19: Impacts on Jobs, Education, Rights and Mental Well-being” which found that 50% of young people across the world are possibly subject to anxiety or depression and around 17% of them are already affected by it. and 38% of youths do not have a clear idea about the career or future.
Note:
Around 12000 responses from 112 countries were received with a major contribution from the educated youths.
Aim:
To identify the immediate effects of the pandemic on the lives of the youths across the world with regards to employment, education, mental health, rights and social activism.
Key Points:
The mental wellbeing of the younger youths and young women aged between 18 to 24 years are at the lowest.
The survey urges the actions since the youths are at risk of suffering severe and long lasting impacts of the pandemic.
Findings of the survey:
i.It also states that some youths have experienced the direct impact of the pandemic and 1 in 6 youths have stopped their work since the outbreak of the pandemic.
ii.Around 13% of young people, especially the youths of low income countries do not have any access to courses, teachings or training and even with the efforts of schools and institutions, 65% of the youths have reported to have learnt less since the pandemic.
iii.Moreover, one in three (33 per cent) noticed a marked impact on their right to participate in public affairs, while over a quarter (27 per cent) experienced difficulties in exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. About a quarter of young people (24 per cent) felt the inaccuracies around the pandemic affected their right to access information. Basic needs were an issue too: for a fifth of youth (21 per cent), especially the ones out of work, their right to housing was being challenged as they struggled to make ends meet.
Click here to read more about the report.
About International Labor Organization (ILO):
Director-General– Guy Ryder
Headquarters– Geneva, Switzerland
ILO is a specialized body of the United Nations (UN).

BANKING & FINANCE

NPCI Launched its Subsidiary Firm, ‘NPCI International Payments Limited’; Appointed Ritesh Shukla as its CEO

i.The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a wholly-owned subsidiary, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to internationalize (or export to foreign markets) NPCI’s indigenously developed offerings and technological acumen, i.e. real-time payment system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and card payment network, RuPay along with a few more offerings of NPCI. 
ii.It is also responsible to co-create payment technologies with other countries. 
iii.NPCI has appointed Ritesh Shukla as Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of NIPL.
About NPCI:
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Dilip Asbe
<<Read Full News>>

Lakshmi Vilas Bank Launched ‘LAKSHMI digiGO’, a Contactless Online Instant Savings Account Opening Facility

Lakshmi Vilas Bank(LVB) has launched ‘LAKSHMI digiGO’, a contactless digital initiative that will enable customers to open a savings account instantly. This initiative will help people to avail the most required banking services instantly through the website on account of COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Info About LAKSHMI digiGO
i.It is a savings account with select features which include internet and mobile Banking. 
ii.This account can be converted to a fully featured regular account of choice and avail cheque book, debit card and a host of other facilities on visiting the nearest LVB branch.
iii.It is a zero balance account and requires a Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar card for opening the account.
iv.Customers can  immediately start to transact their accounts with LAKSHMI digiGO.
Recent Related News:
i.ICICI Bank has launched ‘Insta Flexicash’, an online overdraft(OD) facility for its pre approved salary account customers, by which these customers can get approval for OD instantly & in a paperless manner.
ii.In view of the ongoing lockdown in the country due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), Kotak Mahindra Bank has become the 1st bank in India to allow video Know your customer (KYC) facility for its customers opening savings account (SA) on Kotak 811 platform.
About LVB:
HeadQuarters– Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Managing Director & CEO (Interim)– S Sundar

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Unitus Ventures Received Rs 75 Crore from SIDBI; will Strengthen the Deployment of its Fund II

i.Unitus Ventures has received an investment of Rs 75 crore (USD 10 million) under Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)’s Fund of Funds for Start-ups initiative enabled by the Government of India. 
ii.The fund will strengthen the deployment of its second Rs 300 crore fund, which was launched in 2018.
iii.Unitus Ventures has recently invested Rs 8.5 crore (USD 1.1 million) in Masai School, an ed-tech platform. This investment will continue to strengthen its job-tech portfolio
About Unitus Ventures:
Founder & Managing Partner of Capria and Unitus Ventures– Dave Richards & Will Poole
About SIDBI:
HeadOffice– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Chairman & Managing Director– Mohammad Mustafa
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Keith Rowley Becomes Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago for a 2nd Consecutive Term

On August 19, 2020 Keith Rowley(Full name- Keith Christopher Rowley) sworn in as Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for a 2nd consecutive 5 year term at the President’s House, following victory in general elections held on August 10, 2020. In addition to him, his new cabinet ministers were also sworn in. He is from the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM).
Note– The new cabinet sworn in was delayed due to requests for recounts of ballots.
Key Info
i.As per the preliminary result PNM won 22 of the 41 electoral seats, while the opposition United National Congress (UNC) led by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar won 19 seats.
ii.Keith Rowley’s cabinet consisted of young and experienced politicians like Colm Imbert, Finance minister; Franklin Khan, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries; Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Planning and Development and Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.
iii.In addition to them, were Stuart Richard Young- National Security Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh-  Health Minister and Dr. Amery Browne- Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs among others.
About Republic of Trinidad and Tobago:
Capital– Port of Spain
Currency– Trinidad and Tobago dollar
President– Paula-Mae Weekes O.R.T.T.,

Francisco Asue is Reappointed as the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea

Francisco Pascual Eyegue Obama Asue was reappointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and He was sworn in at the People’s Palace in Malabo before President Teodoro Obiang on 18th August 2020.

• On 14th August 2020, The Asue government tendered the resignation to President Teodoro Obiang, following the criticism of the president. 
• The government was dissolved to resolve the economic situation.

About Francisco Asue:
i.Francisco Asue was first appointed as the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea on 23rd June 2016.
ii.This is the third consecutive term for Francisco Asue as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.
Key Points:
i.Equatorial Guinea, a central African oil producer, has suffered double economic shock due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in the price of crude, which is the source of three quarters of the state’s revenue.
ii.According to the International Monetary Fund Figures, the country’s economy is expected to contract by 5.5% in 2020.
About Republic of Equatorial Guinea:
Prime Minister– Francisco Asue
President– Teodoro Obiang
Capital– Malabo
Currency– Central African CFA franc

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

First Rockets Produced by Private Sector Successfully Test Fired: Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL)

i.In a major boost for Make in India, the first ever Pinaka rockets fully manufactured by the private sector company “Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL)” have been successfully test fired by the army at a firing range in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Six Pinaka rockets were test fired as part of the final developmental trials and are the first munition of its kind made by the private sector in India.
ii.These rockets have been manufactured on the lines of the transfer of technology (ToT) agreement between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and private sector, five years ago.
About Economic Explosives Ltd (EEL):
EEL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Industries headed by Satyanarayan Nuwal.
Headquarter– Nagpur, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

Dwarf Planet Ceres is now an ‘Ocean World’

Researchers have given Dwarf Planet Ceres the status of an “Ocean World”. The scientists have analysed the data collected by NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft and published the findings as a series of papers in the journals Nature Astronomy, Nature Communication and Nature Geoscience. 
Key Points:
i.Studies suggest the presence of briny liquid water (saline) underneath Ceres’s surface.
ii.The findings are crucial since the ocean worlds may support life.
<<Read Full News>>

Iran Unveiled Locally Made Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile, Martyr Qassem Soleimani & Cruise Missile, Martyr Abu Mahdi

i. Iran(officially the Islamic Republic of Iran)  has inaugurated a locally made surface-to-surface ballistic missile, called Martyr Qassem Soleimani, which has a range of 1,400 kilometers-km (870-mile) and a new cruise missile, called Martyr Abu Mahdi which has a range of over 1000 km(620-mile).
ii.The surface-to-surface ballistic missile is named after General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force and  new cruise missile is named after Iraqi militia commander Mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. 
About Iran:
Capital– Tehran
Currency– Iranian Rial
President– Hassan Rouhani
<<Read Full News>>

Air Unique-quality Monitoring, an Indigenous Photonic System Developed for Real-Time Remote Monitoring of Air Quality Parameters

i.Air Unique-quality Monitoring(AUM), an indigenous photonic system for real-time remote monitoring of air quality parameters has been developed. 
ii.It was developed by  Prof. Rao Tatavarti, Director of Gayatri Vidya Parishad-Scientific and Industrial Research Centre (GVP-SIRC) & GVP College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam with the support from Department of Science and Technology’s Clean Air Research Initiative. 
iii.The system had CATS Eco-Systems, Nashik as the technology transfer partner for commercialization.
<<Read Full News>>

NASA observes the Slowly Splitting South Atlantic Anomaly, a dent in Earth’s Magnetic Field

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) observes the South Atlantic Anomaly(SAA), a strange dent in Earth’s magnetic field over South America and the nearby Atlantic Ocean which was there for more than 10 years is growing and splitting this change in the magnetic field will affect the earth.
The scientists of NASA in geomagnetic, geophysics, and heliophysics research groups observe and model the SAA to monitor and predict its future changes to help with the challenges in satellite missions and humans in space.
Magnetic Field:
The magnetic field around the earth blocks of the charged particles emitted from the sun from reaching the earth.
The roots of the magnetic field are the movement of the liquid metal in the Earth’s core.
South Atlantic Anomaly(SAA):
i.Currently SAA don’t have any visible impacts on the surface.
ii.The spacecraft flying through the anomaly provides the observation on the changing features of SAA to NASA.
iii.After the retirement of the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), in 2002, it monitored the weak spots in the field which showed that the dents are moving westwards and splitting in two.
iv.This will affect the protective barrier around the earth and allow more radiations to hit the satellites over this region and will trigger occasional shutdowns to avoid potential hardware damage.

OBITUARY

Former India Footballer Bhaskar Maity passed away at 67

On 19th August, 2020 Former India Footballer (Goalkeeper) turned Coach, Bhaskar Maity passed away at the age of 67 due to massive stroke at a hospital in Navi Mumbai. 
i.Maity represented India against Iraq at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. At the domestic level, he represented Maharashtra in Santosh Trophy from 1975-1979.
ii.In the club level, he played for Mafatlal from 1974 to 1980, before joining Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) for two seasons (1981-82).
iii.After his retirement, he took over as the Coach of RCF and played a major role in honing the skills of India regulars like Khalid Jamil and Abishek Yadav.

Former Cricketer Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan dies of heart attack at 89

Former Cricketer, Administrator and Pitch Curator Gopalaswamy Iyenger Kasturirangan passed away at the age 89 due to heart attack at his Bangalore Residence.He was born on 12th October 1930 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
i.Gopalaswamy Kasturirangan was a fast bowler who played 36 first-class matches and Captained Mysore Ranji Team (now Karnataka). 
ii.He began his career in the 1948-49 season representing Mysore in the Ranji Trophy and retired from first class cricket after the 1962-63 season. 
iii.He took 94 wickets and was part of the first Indian squad to tour West Indies in 1952, before pulling out of the tour due to some reasons. 
iv.Gopalaswamy has also served as Chairman of BCCI grounds and pitches committee and Vice-President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book titled “India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders” authored by Pradeep Chhibber & Harsh Shah released

The book will give a snapshot of contemporary Indian politics through interviews with 20 of the country’s most prominent next-generation politicians. The book includes interviews of Politicians below the age of 50 years only and released in August, 2020. 
i.The book is written by American academicians Pradeep Chhibber and Harsh Shah and published by Oxford University Press (OUP).
ii.The book will attempt to unravel the personalities, aspirations, ideologies, interests, passions and motivation of the next generation leaders.
iii.It will include personalities of the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Zubin Irani, Varun Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Sadbhavan Diwas 2020 – August 20

i.Every year 20th August is celebrated as the Sadbhavana Diwas which is also known as Communal Harmony Day, to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.
ii.20th August 2020, marks the 76th Birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.
iii.The All India Congress Committee (AICC) instituted the annual Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award (RGNSA) in 1992 in memory of Rajiv Gandhi.
<<Read Full News>>

World Mosquito Day 2020: August 20

The World Mosquito Day is observed on 20th August every year to raise awareness about the Causes and Prevention of Malaria and to commemorate the discovery made by British Doctor Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit Malaria between humans.
i.Sir Ronald Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1902 for the discovery, he became the first British Nobel Laureate.
ii.The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine holds Mosquito Day celebrations every year dating back to as early as 1930.
iii.Awareness about causes of malaria, its prevention as well as fundraising for research into the cure of malaria are carried out on August 20 every year.
iv.Apart from Malaria, the mosquitoes cause other diseases such as Dengue, Yellow Fever, Encephalitis, Zika and Chikungunya.
v.According to the World Health Organization (WHO) World Malaria Report, 2019, India represents 3% of the Global Malaria Burden. 

AC GAZE

INOX Group to sponsor Team India for Tokyo Olympics: IOA

Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a governing body for the Olympic Movement in India and INOX Group has signed a sponsorship agreement to support Team India for Tokyo Olympics, which was rescheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

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