Current Affairs 12 August 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 12 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.

Our Current Affairs August 2020 events will help you to get more marks in Banking, Insurance, SSC, Railways, UPSC, CLAT and all State Government Exams. Also, try our Latest Current Affairs Quiz and Monthly Current Affairs 2020 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Date-Wise Current Affairs August 2020 PDF for Paid Users – Click Here to Know More

Top 25 Current Affairs of 12 August 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Rajnath Singh Launched DPSUs and OFB’s Modernisation Projects During Atma Nirbhar Week (Aug7-14, 2020)

i.On August 10, 2020, as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Week celebration (Atmanirbharta Saptah) between August 7-14, 2020 of the Ministry of Defence and to boost Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (self-reliant India movement), the Union Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) Rajnath Singh virtually launched the initiatives for modernisation and upgradation of facilities at defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
ii.BEML (previously Bharat Earth Movers Limited) has set up Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at Bengaluru, a first of its kind in India for setting the global benchmarking in Industrial Design and Ergonomics in Products.
iii.Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad laid foundation stone for ‘Seeker Facility Centre’ (SFC) to manufacture missile system and ‘Warhead Production Facility’ for manufacturing and testing of indigenously developed warheads required for Konkurs-M, Invar, Akash, Astra missiles etc.
<<Read Full News>>

India, Maldives Inked Contract for Development of 5 Eco-Tourism Zones in Addu atoll of Maldives under HICDP 

i.On August 10, 2020, India and Maldives signed a contract for the development of five eco-tourism zones in Addu atoll of Maldives during an online signing ceremony held from Addu City. The virtual ceremony was attended by High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Sunjay Sudir and Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed.
ii.The Addu City’s districts where Eco-Tourism Zones will be developed are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo.
iii.It should be noted that these projects are undertaken under the MoU signed on 17 March 2019 for “Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) through local bodies” which involves a total grant assistance of US$5.5 million to the Maldives.
About Maldives:
Capital– Male
Currency– Maldivian rufiyaa
President– Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
<<Read Full News>>

Prakash Javadekar Launched the Booklet on Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India and Beta Version of “Surakhsya” 

i.On 11th August 2020, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment Forest &Climate Change(MoEFCC) launched the booklet on “Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India” to strengthen coexistence of the human-elephant, during the event on the eve of World Elephant Day. 
ii.The booklet was aimed to reduce the Human Elephant conflicts and avoid the loss of lives of both humans and elephants.
iii.The 12th of August of every year is celebrated as the World Elephant Day all across the globe to support the preservation and protection of Elephants.
About Ministry of Environment Forest &Climate Change(MoEFCC):
Union Minister– Prakash Javadekar
Minister of State– Babul Supriyo
<<Read Full News>>

Govt Abolished Cotton Advisory Board; Notifies Change in Status of Textiles Research Associations

i.On August 10, 2020, on the lines of Government of India vision of “Minimum Government and Maximum Governance”, the Ministry of textiles has abolished it’s another advisory body, Cotton Advisory Board (CAB), and notified that all eight Textiles Research Associations (TRAs) have ceased to be ”affiliated bodies” of the ministry.
ii.Hereafter, TRAs will be approved bodies for conducting testing, research and developmental activities related to the textiles sector.
iii.Any disposal/sale/transfer of assets created out of the central government grant shall require prior specific approval of the ministry.
About Ministry of Textiles:
Union Minister– Smriti Zubin Irani
Secretary– Ravi Capoor
<<Read Full News>>

Union Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari Addressed “India@75 Summit – Mission 2022” Organised by CII

On 8th August 2020, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) and Road Transport & Highways addressed the “India@75 Summit – Mission 2022” organised by the confederation of Indian Industries(CII) which was focused on ‘reinventing technology in India’. He stated that to achieve self-reliant India, the MSME Ministry and Industries should be made import substitutes, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous.
About CII:
President– Uday Kotak
Vice President– Sanjiv Bajaj
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

NTPC Group achieves 100 Billion Units (BU) power generation mark

NTPC Limited (formerly known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)) has achieved 100 Billion Units (BU) of cumulative power generation in the ongoing fiscal year. 
Key Points:
i. As per the, Central Electricity Board (CEA) data, NTPC Korba (2,600 MW) in Chattisgarh has emerged as the top performing Thermal Power Plant in the country with 97.42 percent Plant Load Factor (PLF) between April to July 2020. 
iii.Based on the PLF performance, NTPC Sipat in Chhattisgarh (2980 MW), NTPC Rihand (3000 MW) and NTPC Vindhyachal (4760 MW) in Uttar Pradesh, NTPC Talcher Kaniha (3000 MW) and NTPC Talcher Thermal (460 MW) in Odisha have been featured in the top ten performing power plants in the country. 
iv.Unit 4 (200 MW) & Unit 1(200 MW) of NTPC Singrauli in Uttar Pradesh achieved the highest PLF in the country with 99.90% and 99.87% respectively from April to July’20.
State run NTPC Group has 70 Power Stations with a total installed capacity of 62.9 Gigawatts(GW). Another 20 GW of capacity is under construction, including 5 GW of renewable energy projects.
About National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPL)
Chairman & Managing Director – Gurdeep Singh
Headquarters – New Delhi.  

Power Finance Corporation Signed MoA with UP to Construct 2 Modular Operation Theatre Rooms 

i.India’s leading Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC), Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) has signed a Memorandum of Association(MoA) with District Administration of Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh(UP) to construct 2 Modular Operation Theatre Rooms in the District Hospital, Siddharthnagar. 
ii.As per the MoA, PFC will provide financial assistance of about Rs 94 Lakhs for the implementation of the project under its Corporate social responsibility (CSR)  initiative 
About PFC:
Head Office– New Delhi, India
Chairman & Managing Director– Shri Ravinder Singh Dhillon
<<Read Full News>>

IC-IMPACTS 2020 Annual Research Conference held Virtually on Aug 6-7, 2020

IC-IMPACTS (the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability) 2020 Annual Research Conference held Virtually on Aug 6-7, 2020 to discuss the ways to elevate the inter-country cooperation to the next Level by strengthening existing international connections, sharing best practices in multiple areas, and initiating new collaborations in government and institutions. The Conference was organised by IC-IMPACTS.
Key People
Mr. Barj Dhahan, Board Chair, IC-IMPACTS; Mr. Ajay Bisaria, High Commissioner of India to Canada were present among 200 Indian and Canadian participants 
Major focus area of research cooperation under IC-IMPACT
The major focus areas of research cooperation under the IC-IMPACT are as follows:
Green buildings and smart cities; occupants’ survivability in buildings during fires; integrated water management & safe and sustainable infrastructure; and health problems arising from water-borne and infectious diseases. 
DST in Partnership with IC-IMPACTS 
i.The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has been working with IC-IMPACTS for research partnerships since 2013. 
ii.This partnership aimed to work hand-in-hand with communities in both countries creating community-based solutions to the most urgent needs.
3MT Competition
This year(2020) Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition has been introduced to create opportunities for students and HQP (Highly Qualified Personnel)to network with like-minded innovation leaders
About IC-IMPACTS:
Headquarters– British Columbia, Canada
Scientific Director and CEO– Prof. Nemy Banthia

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Bangladesh Decided to Construct a Monument for the Indian Soldiers Killed by Pakistan in the 1971 

On 7th August 2020, Mozammel Haque, Bangladesh War Liberation Minister announced the decision to construct a standalone monument for the Indian Soldiers who were killed by Pakistan in 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.
About the Monument:
The construction of the monument will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Independence of Bangladesh.
Site:
For the construction of the monument, 3.5 acres in Ashuganj of Brahmanbaria district which shares border with Tripura was selected by the Bangladesh Government for its historic significance in the 1971 war.
Bangladesh honours to Indian Soldiers:
i.Bangladesh felicitated posthumous awards for the Indian Soldiers and veterans of the 1971 war along with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and other Indians for their role in the 1971 Liberation War.
ii.Bangladesh has a National Memorial on the outskirts of Dhaka for all the Martyrs of 1971 war and the proposed memorial is solely for the Indian Soldiers.
Key Point:
India has requested Haque to initiate the translation of the book on the Liberation War in Hindi.
Recent Related News:
i.Reconstruction of a 300-year-old temple, Sree Sree Joy Kali Matar temple began in Natore, Bangladesh with Indian assistance. The Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das inaugurated the event virtually.
ii.India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for formation of 50:50 Joint Venture Company (JVC) of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) business in Bangladesh.
About Bangladesh:
Prime Minister– Sheikh Hasina
President– Abdul Hamid
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Bangladeshi Taka

BANKING & FINANCE

Paytm Launched India’s 1st Pocket Android POS Device, ‘Paytm All-in-One Portable Android Smart POS’

i.Paytm has launched India’s 1st Pocket Android POS(Point of Sale) Device, ‘Paytm All-in-One Portable Android Smart POS’ for contactless ordering and payments in India.
ii.It is an effort to digitise and empower a large number of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). 
iii.It is integrated with the ‘Paytm for Business’ app to generate GST compliant bills and to manage all transactions & settlements. It is designed like a phone.
About Paytm:
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh
President– Amit Nayyar
<<Read Full News>>

South Indian Bank obtained RBI’s in-principle Nod to Set up Non-Financial Subsidiary

South Indian Bank(SIB) has obtained in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) to set up a wholly owned non- financial subsidiary for undertaking activities permitted by RBI. After SIB completes the relevant formalities and receives final approval from the regulators the subsidiary will commence its operations.

• The establishment of the subsidiary is a further step in consolidating the position of SIB “as a Retail Banking Power House.”
• Already SIB has centralised all its operations both on the liability and asset sides.

Benefits of Setting up Subsidiary to SIB
i.SIB can streamline and improve various operations to improve the overall productivity and efficiency of thee institution
ii.It can achieve significant gains on the efficiency and cost fronts, facilitating major expansion in business in the retail sector.
iii.It will be better equipped to expand its operations along with cutting down its expenses to a sizable level as various outsourced functions are centralized under an umbrella.
Recent Related News:
i.RBI creates Payments Infrastructure Development Fund with initial corpus of Rs 250 cr to boost digitization.
ii.RBI has agreed to a USD 400 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka, valid till November 2022. 
About SIB:
Headquarters– Thrissur, Kerala
Tagline – Experience Next Generation Banking
Managing Director & CEO– V.G. Mathew

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

BSE signs MoU with two Akola based Bullion Trade Association for Deepening Commodity Derivatives Market in India

BSE, formerly known as Bombay Stock Exchange has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Akola Sarafa Association and Akola Sarafa Va Suvarnakar Yuva Sangh, Maharashtra based bullion trade and industry associations for deepening the commodity derivatives market in India and benefit the trading and hedging of all the market participants in Indian bullion derivatives market.
About Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE):
Chairman of the Board– Justice Vikramajit Sen
MD&CEO– Ashishkumar Chauhan
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

Journalists Nitin Sethi and Shiv Sahay Singh Bagged Asian College of Journalism Award 2019 

i.Asian College of Journalism(ACJ) award 2019 was conferred upon Journalist Nitin Sethi for investigative journalism and K P Narayana Kumar Memorial Award 2019 for Social Impact Journalism is bestowed upon Journalist  Shiv Sahay Singh. 
ii.The awards were presented in a virtual ceremony by Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the World Health Organisation(WHO), at the inauguration of the Class of 2021. 
About ACJ:
Headquarters– Chennai, TamilNadu
Chairman– Sashi Kumar
<<Read Full News>>

   APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS         

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab Government Steps Down

On August 10, 2020 Hassan Diab, Lebanon(Republic of Lebanon) Prime Minister(PM) and his government resigned due to public outrage and the pressure from within his own Cabinet as his government was blamed for the August 4 explosion in Beirut’s port which killed at least 160 people and injured about 6,000 others.

• Michel Aoun, Lebanon President accepted his resignation letter and asked him to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet was formed.

Note– About 9 members of parliament have resigned since the blasts with many more ministers wanting to resign.
About Hassan Diab
i.Hassan Diab formed his cabinet in January 2020 with support from the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies. He succeeded Saad Hariri who  stepped down under pressure from the protest movement.
ii.He has had a caretaker government since October 29, 2019 when Saad Hariri resigned
iii.Prior to his post as a PM he served as the Minister of Education from June 2011 to February 2014 under President Michel Suleiman.
About Lebanon
Capital– Beirut
Currency– Lebanese Pound

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Finance Minister Launched Online Dashboard for Information on National Infrastructure Pipeline 

i.On August 10, 2020, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated an information repository, in the form of online dashboard, for all projects identified under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) through video conferencing from New Delhi. The dashboard hosted on the India Investment Grid (IIG) website “www.indiainvestmentgrid.gov.in” will be a one stop solution providing information on infrastructure projects in New India to all stakeholders.
ii.NIP is a first-of-its-kind government effort to provide world-class infrastructure across India in five years i.e. 2020-2025 through an investment (both domestic & foreign) of Rs 111 Lakh crore.  
About Ministry of Finance:
Minister of State (MoS)– Anurag Singh Thakur
Departments – 5: Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Expenditure, Department of Revenue, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, and Department of Financial Services.
<<Read Full News>>

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists Identified 77 New Species of Butterflies in Matheran Near Mumbai

The 8 year long (2011 – 2019) field work research conducted in the Matheran an eco-sensitive zone near Mumbai, Maharashtra an area of 214.73 Square Kilometer, identified around 140 rare species of butterflies including 77 new species. Scientists Mandar Sawant, Dr. Nikhil Modak and Sagar Sarang from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Somaiya Vidya Vihar University published their research paper ‘Finding the forgotten gems: Revisiting the butterflies of Matheran after 125 years’ in the community peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal. 

• This is the first dedicated checklist of butterflies after the 1894 list of J.A Betham which identified around 78 butterfly species.
• The Dr. Nikhil Modak supported the team in using the Biostatistical techniques

Note:
1894 was the last time when the butterflies were codified in the Matheran.
Gist of the Paper:
i.The team used the colour barcode system to represent the seasons and the activities of the butterflies.
ii.According to the research the seasonal variation is observed in butterfly diversity.
Around 125 species of butterflies are observed during winter and around 80 species during the monsoon.
iii.The long term study of butterflies will provide a better understanding about the health of the ecosystem.

New Plant Species “Ardisia ramaswamii” of Genus Ardisia Identified by JNTBGRI Named After M S Ramaswami 

The scientist of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) at Palode identified a new species of the Genus Ardisia in the Akkamalai forest in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. The new species Ardisia ramaswamii, named after the 20th Century Botanist M.S. Ramaswami, who along with C.C. Calder and V. Narayanaswami, listed the species that are not mentioned in the “J D Hooker’s Flora of British India”.
This finding of Nazarudeen Ahammed, G. Rajkumar and R. Prakashkumar, Director, JNTBGRI were published in the Annals of Plant Science (July edition).
About Ardisia ramaswamii:
Family: Primulaceae
Genus: Ardisia
Habit: up to 5 meters tall
Since the Ardisia ramaswamii is sparsely populated with localised distribution, it is included in the Red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) demanding conservation initiatives.
Key Points:
i.Around 500 species of Ardisia shrubs and trees are found all across the world and more than 400 of which are found in Asia.
ii.Including the new species, around 29 species are found in India out of which 16 are found in the Western Ghats.
iii.Many Species of Ardisia has medicinal properties like, Ardisia elliptica known as ‘kili njaval’ or ‘sugar njaval’ are used to treat diabetes, Ardisia solanacea, (manimundakkizhangu) used in traditional healing.

OBITUARY

Former Minister & YSRCP Veteran leader Penmatsa Sambasiva Raju Passed Away 

Penmatsa Sambasiva Raju, the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party(YSRCP) veteran leader passed away due to his prolonged ill-health, at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam. He was about 85 years old. He served as Transport Minister and Pro-tem Speaker of the united Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

• He was the only Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) who won the election for 8 times in the united Andhra Pradesh Assembly(Sativada and GajapathiNagaram Assembly constituencies).

About Penmatsa Sambasiva Raju:
i.He started his political career as the samiti president in 1958. 
ii.He was first elected as an MLA in 1968. Later he won as an MLA in GajapathiNagaram and Sativada Assemblies for eight times. He is the only  MLA to be elected from GajapathiNagaram.
iii.He served as the minister for transport and civil supply between 1989-94 in the Marri Channa Reddy Cabinet.
iv.He was the mentor of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botcha Satyanarayana.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Prakash Javadekar Released Ebook, ‘Connecting, Communicating, Changing’ Chronicling the Vice President’s 3rd year in office

i.Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting released an e-version of the book ‘Connecting, Communicating, Changing’, a chronicle of Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu’s third year in office.
ii.In addition to this Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Defence also released the print coffee table version of the e-book. 
iii.This is the 3rd edition of the book. It is published by the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Constituency:
Prakash Javadekar– Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra
Rajnath Singh– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
<<Read Full News>>

“Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World” – A Book by Dalai Lama to release in November 

Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama is set to release his new book “Our Only Home: A climate Appeal to the world” on Climate change co-written by German environmental Journalist Franz Alt in November.
i.The book calls upon political decision makers to fight against deadlock and ignorance on the issue of climate change.
ii.He calls on the people to stand up for a different, climate-friendly world and asks the younger generation to assert their right to regain its future. 
iii.The Dalai Lama has been a steadfast advocate for environmental conservation and has called for global cooperation on climate change and global warming.
Earlier Publications:

• The book follows his 2019 Publication “The Seed of Compassion: Lessons from the Life and Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama” which was dedicated to children. 
• In 2018, he released the book “Ecology, Ethics, and Interdependence: The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Leading Thinkers on Climate Change” where the interaction with leading scientists, academics and activists on urgent climate issues formed the basis of the book. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Lion Day Observed Virtually on August 10, 2020

World Lion Day is observed across the world on August 10 every year. World Lion Day 2020 is being observed virtually this year due to the pandemic. The main purpose of this day is to raise awareness about lions and educate people about issues concerning their protection and conservation. 
Background: 
i.In 2013, Dereck and Beverly Joubert, a husband-and-wife team of Big Cat Initiative and National Geographic began an initiative to form World Lion Day.
About Gir National Park
State – Gujarat
Five protected areas to protect Asiatic Lion –  Gir Sanctuary(Gujarat), Gir National Park(Gujarat), Pania Sanctuary(Gujarat), Mitiyala Sanctuary(Gujarat), and Girnar Sanctuary(Gujarat).
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Gujarat Launched Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana Replacing PMFBY to Compensate Crop Loss of Farmers for FY21

i.On August 10, 2020, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, launched Rs 1,800 crore scheme “Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana” by replacing “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)”, for FY20-21 only, for the state’s 56 lakh farmers facing crop losses due to drought, excess rain or unseasonal rain. In this regard the state government will launch a dedicated portal so that farmers can apply online.
ii.Eligibility: Farmers who have sown crops for kharif (monsoon) 2020 season i.e. sown till July, and tribal farmers registered under the Forest Rights Act are eligible for this scheme. The compensation will be given only if the loss of crop is more than 33% due to above mentioned factors.
About Gujarat:
Governor– Acharya Devvrat 
Capital– Gandhinagar
<<Read Full News>>

Himachal Pradesh gets approval from Centre for projects worth Rs 7922.69 Crores

i.Himachal Pradesh (HP) has received Investment Clearance from the Union government for six multipurpose and flood control projects involving expenditure of Rs 7,922.69 crore on 7th August, 2020.  
ii.The clearance was given during the 13th meeting of Investment Clearance Committee (ICC), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Union Jal Shakti Ministry has approved the proposals in respect of major and medium irrigation, flood control and multipurpose projects.
About Himachal Pradesh (HP):
Capital – Shima (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
Chief Minister – Jai Ram Thakur
Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Union Minister – Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Minister of State (MoS) – Rattan Lal Kataria
<<Read Full News>>

Assam CoM approves “Assam Non-Government Education Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Rules 2020”

i.On August 10, 2020 Assam Council of Ministers approved “Assam Non-Government Education Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Rules 2020”. It seeks to regulate the fees structure of the private educational institutes in the State of Assam.
ii.The state Government will constitute a Fee Regulatory Committee for determination of fees for any standard or course of study in Private educational institutions.
About Assam:
Capital – Dispur
Chief Minister – Sarbananda Sonowal 
Governor – Jagdish Mukhi
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

Mumbai becomes first city in India to have female icons on traffic signals

Mumbai’s Dadar has become the first city in India to have women symbols on traffic signals and signage, which was installed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that display female icons sporting triangular frock, a shift from the default representation of men.

*******

Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2020

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)