Current Affairs 22 August 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 22 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 20 Current Affairs of 22 August 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

5th Swachh Survekshan 2020 Announced by Hardeep Singh Puri; Indore is India’s Cleanest City 4th Time in a Row

i.On August 20, 2020, during a virtual event of Swachh Mahotsav organized by, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (MoS)-Independent Charge (I/C) MoHUA announced the 5th edition of the annual cleanliness urban survey of India i.e.”Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS2020)” conducted by MoHUA.  
ii.A total of 129 awards given away by the minister in which Madhya Pradesh’s Indore emerged as India’s cleanest city for the 4th consecutive time while Gujarat’s Surat and Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai grabbed 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
iii.SS2020, the 28 days long completely digitized and paperless nationwide survey is the world’s largest cleanliness survey covering 1.87 crore citizens of 4,242 cities, 62 cantonment boards and 92 towns along the Ganga river.

About Swachh Survekshan:
Launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi its objective was to monitor the performance of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which was launched on October 2, 2014, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
<<Read Full News>>

MoU Signed between Ministry of Shipping and MSDE for Development in Port and Maritime Sector

On 20th August, 2020, A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship(MSDE) for skilling, re-skilling and upskilling of manpower in Port, Maritime sectors.
Objective:
The aim of the MoU is to help individuals to build and certify their skills sets, to reap the benefits of vast employment opportunities in the Maritime Sector with focus on youth of coastal areas. 
<<Read Full News>>

Atal Innovation Mission and India Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre Partners to Boost Startup Ecosystem

i.On 20th August 2020, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and Business Sweden on behalf of India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre signed a virtual Statement of Intent (SoI) to boost the culture of innovation in India.
ii.This collaboration aims to promote the innovative potential of Indian Entrepreneurs and to boost the dynamic startup ecosystem across India.
iii.India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre is a collaboration of All India Institute of Medical Science(AIIMS) (Delhi, Jodhpur) and Business Sweden.
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM):
AIM is a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog.
Mission Director– R Ramanan
Headquarters– New Delhi
About Sweden:
Prime Minister– Stefan Löfven
Capital- Stockholm
Currency– Swedish krona
<<Read Full News>>

Arjun Munda Virtually Launched Trifood Project of TRIFED in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

i.On 20th August 2020, Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs(MoTA) virtually launched the tertiary processing centres of the “Trifood Project” in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh.
ii.The Trifood project was carried by the MoTA in association with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries(MoFPI) and implemented by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
About Ministry of Tribal Affairs:
Union Minister– ArjunMunda
Minister of State– Renuka Singh Saruta
About TRIFED:
Managing Director– Pravir Krishna
Head Office– New Delhi, India
<<Read Full News>>

IIM Kozhikode signs MoU with Switzerland based HELP Logistics

i.On 17th August, 2020, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Switzerland based HELP Logistics to engage in a collaborative partnership to provide consulting services and logistics training for the humanitarian community in South Asia.
ii.HELP Logistics – a registered non-profit organisation and a subsidiary company of the Kühne Foundation, Schindellegi, Switzerland
About IIM-K:
Director of IIM-K – Professor Debashis Chatterjee
Chairman – Arunachalam Vellayan
<<Read Full News>>

MoTA and MoRD Signed Joint Communication to Promote Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities Among Tribal Women SHGs 

i.On August 18, 2020, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) and Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) inked a Joint Communication to promote sustainable livelihood opportunities among tribal women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). 
ii.The joint communication was inked by Deepak Khandekar, Secretary MoTA and Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, MoRD under which A series of activities will be carried out by both the Ministries to improve the economic opportunities available to tribal women.
iii.Other Participants during signing: Arjun Munda, Union Minister MoTA, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister MoRD, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State (MoS) MoTA, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, MoS, MoRD and several senior officers.
<<Read Full News>>

Harsh Vardhan Launched FSSAI’s ‘Eat Right India’ Handbook and a Website to Scale Up ‘Eat Right India’ Initiatives

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched FSSAI’s ‘Eat Right India’ Handbook, a referral guide for officials of different jurisdictions to adopt and scale up the ‘Eat Right India’(ERI) initiatives in their jurisdictions during the online orientation workshop organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as part of its “Eat Right Challenge”.
Key People:
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare along with Rita Teaotia, Chairperson, FSSAI and ArunSinghal, CEO, FSSAI were present at the online orientation workshop presided by Harsh Vardhan.
Key Points:
i.Food Safety Commissioners and district officials such as District Magistrates and Designated Officers from around 197 cities and districts participated in the workshop.
ii.This movement focuses on prioritising food, nutrition and awareness on eating and dietary habits.
iii.This also focuses on the problems of food wastage and disposal of food.
Importance of Eat Right India:
In India,
196 million are victims of chronic hunger while 180 million suffer from obesity.
47 million children have stunted growth while another 25 million are wasted.
500 million are deficient in micronutrients and 100 million suffer from food-borne diseases.
Other launches:
Harsh Vardhan also launched a website “eatrightindia.gov.in” to support the stakeholders to scale up ‘Eat Right India’ initiatives across India
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW):
Union Minister– Harsh Vardhan
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

LS Speaker Om Birla Attends Inaugural Ceremony of 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

i.On 19th August, 2020 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP) through virtual mode. This is the first time that an International Parliamentary Conference is being held in Virtual mode. 
ii.The two-day conference on August 19 & 20 is being organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and the Parliament of Austria with the support of the United Nations (UN).
About Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU):
President – Gabriela Cuevas Barron
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
About Om Birla:
Constituency – Kota-Bundi, Rajasthan
Political Party – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
<<Read Full News>>

Over 200 Elephants in India Kept in Severely Inadequate Conditions: World Animal Protection

On August 12, 2020, during the observance of World Elephant Day 2020, World Animal Protection released the third edition of the report ‘Elephants. Not commodities’ which highlighted that over 200 Elephants in India are kept in ‘Severely Inadequate Conditions’.  
The report comprises research spanning over a decade in elephant tourism and assessed the entertainment venues across Thailand, India, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. 
Highlights of ‘Elephants. Not Commodities’: 
i.According to the report, India is home to the second-highest number of elephants which are used for tourism in the region of Asia. 
ii.In the region Asia, there are 21 venues housing 509 elephants and out of which 45% (225) are kept in severely inadequate conditions.
iii.According to the report, across Asia there are over 3, 800 captive elephants in 357 elephant tourism venues and Thailand is home to three quarters of the captive elephants.
iv.World Animal Protection India has been working to phase out elephant rides at the Amer Fort in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, which has over 100 elephants providing daily rides to thousands of tourists.
World Animal Protection:
World Animal Protection formerly known as World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is an International Non-Profit Animal Welfare Organization. 

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Releases National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025; 5C Approach Recommended

i.On the lines of the review of progress made under the first National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE: 2013-2018) the revised NSFE (2020-2025) has been prepared and the document for the same was released by Mahesh Kumar Jain, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 20, 2020.
ii.This NSFE 2020-2025, has been prepared by the National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) in consultation with all (four) the Financial Sector Regulators viz. RBI, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), along with Department of Financial Services (DFS) and other Ministries of Govt. of India under the aegis of the Technical Group on Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy (TGFIFL) chaired by Deputy Governor, RBI.
iii.There are the Strategic Objectives laid down in NSFE 2020-2025 and in order to achieve them, the document recommends adoption of a ‘5 C’ approach viz. Content, Capacity, Community, Communication and Collaboration.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Formation– 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, one is yet to be appointed).
<<Read Full News>>

HSBC India Becomes 1st Foreign Bank in India to launch a ‘Green Deposit Programme’ for Corporate Clients to Finance Green Initiatives

i.HSBC India becomes 1st Foreign Bank in India to launch a‘Green Deposit Programme’ exclusively for corporate clients to finance green initiatives and eco-friendly projects like renewable energy, clean transportation, and pollution prevention among others, that promote transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and sustainable economy. 
ii.This will enable companies to support environmentally-beneficial projects. 
iii.It is available in Rupees(Rs) as ‘Term Deposit’, which generally attracts higher interests compared to savings deposits.
About HSBC India
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

IBM Collaborates with NSDC to Offer Free Digital Education Platform for Skill Development

i.On 21st August 2020, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) announced its collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) to offer a free digital education platform on emerging technologies and professional skill development and to equip the next generation with digital skills.
ii.IBM will manage an online course from Open P-Tech platform and will offer it to the users through eSkill India Portal of NSCD.
About IBM (International Business Machines Corporation):
Executive Chairman– Virginia M. Rometty
Chief Executive Officer– Arvind Krishna
Headquarters– Armonk, New York, United States of America
<<Read Full News>>

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

CCI Approved 100% Proposed Acquisition of C&S Electric Limited by Siemens Limited

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved 100% proposed acquisition of the share capital of the Indian Operations of C&S Electric Limited (C&S) by Siemens Limited (Siemens India). For this purpose, Siemens Ltd has signed an agreement with C&S in January 2020. 
Proposed Combination
i.At the time of closing the proposed combination, the C&S business scope will include low-voltage (LV) switchgear components and panels, LV and medium voltage (MV) power bus bars as well as protection and metering devices of C&S. 
ii.Other businesses of C&S, like MV switchgear and package substation, lighting, diesel generating sets, engineering, procurement and construction business and the “Etacom” bus bars business will be retained by the existing promoters of C&S.
Key Info
i.Siemens India focuses on the following areas, namely,  power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems among others. 
ii.It supplies smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport and infrastructure solutions for Smart Cities.
iii.C&S, manufactures a wide range of electrical switchgear, power protection and electrical distribution products.
iv.It has an electrical contracting business which performs turnkey solutions for industrial and commercial electrification among others. Apart from these, it is also engaged in the design and execution of grid connected solar photo-voltaic power plants.
About Siemens India:
Managing Director(MD) and Chief executive Officer(CEO)– Sunil Mathur
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About C&S Electric Limited:
HeadQuarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Ravinder Nath(R.N) Khanna

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

L&T Built Interceptor Boat ‘ICGS C-454’ of Indian Coast Guard Launched at Surat

On August 19, 2020 The 27-meter-long Interceptor Boat(IB) ‘ICGS C-454’, built by Larsen and Toubro Ltd(L&T) was launched into the service of the Indian Coast Guard(ICG) by Dr Hiral Patel, wife of Surat district Collector, Dhaval Patel during a ceremony in Surat.
Major Highlights of ICGS C-454
i.It has a maximum speed of 45 nautical miles(83 Km/hr- Kilometers per Hour).
ii.It has an excellent seakeeping, maneuverability and endurance range of 500 nautical miles.
Note– Till now,  L&T has handed over 51 out of 54 IB’s ordered by the Indian Coast Guard.
Additional Info
L&T-Class Fast Interceptor Craft
i.L&T fast interceptor craft is a series of high-speed interceptor boats being built by L&T Shipyard for the Indian Coast Guard. 
ii.The ships are designed for patrol and rescue operations in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
ii.L&T Marine & Ship Design Division, an in-house facility of L&T Ltd, designs the IB’s.
Recent Related News:
i.The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned a 3rd high-speed interceptor boat C-448 in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
ii.6th offshore patrol vessel(OPV) “Yard 45006 VAJRA” was launched to enhance coastal security. The 6th vessel in the series of 7 OPV is designed & developed by Larsen & Toubro under the Central government’s initiative ‘Make in India’.
About ICG:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Director General– Krishnaswamy Natarajan
About Larsen & Toubro Limited:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO– S.N. Subrahmanyan

SPORTS

Ronnie O’Sullivan Wins Sixth World Snooker Championship 2020 at Crucible

On 17th August, 2020, English Professional Snooker Player Ronnie O’Sullivan won the World Snooker Championship for the 6th time by winning the 2020 World Snooker Championship at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England. He defeated England’s Kyren Wilson 18-8 in the final of the Betfred World Snooker Championship. 
i.He draws level with Ray Reardon and boyhood hero Steve Davis on world crowns, and surpasses Stephen Hendry on the all-time list of ranking event wins with a record 37 titles. 
ii.O’Sullivan, 44, is the oldest champion since Reardon, who was 45 in 1978 & he is behind Stephen Hendry’s modern-day record of seven successes in the World Championship. 
iii.This was Ronnie O’Sullivan’s first World title since 2013. 
World Snooker Championship 2020:
i.The World Snooker Championship took place from 31 July 2020 to 16th August, 2020 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England. 
ii.The event was organized by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and World Snooker Tour.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A Book Titled ‘One Arranged Murder’ Authored by Chetan Bhagat to be Released 

A Book Titled ‘One Arranged Murder’ authored by Chetan Bhagat will be released worldwide on September 28, 2020. The fiction book portrays a murder mystery in the backdrop of an arranged marriage. The book will be published by Westland Publications Ltd. It is the author’s  9th novel and 11th book overall.
Essence of the book- The book not only has an intense suspense but also is filled with humour, love and relatable Indian characters.
Key Info
i.He released the trailer of this book in which Actor Vikrant Massey appears(as the narrator) in the video as Keshav Rajpurohit.
ii.The author will reveal the cover of this book soon. The book is  available for pre-order on Amazon.
Note– Chetan Bhagat’s last release was The Girl in Room 105.
Author’s Other Books Include
What Young India Wants (2012), Making India Awesome (2015), Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States (2009), Revolution 2020 (2011), Half Girlfriend (2014) and One Indian Girl (2016).

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 2020 – August 21

i.United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is annually oserved on 21st August to commemorate and pay tribute to the victims and survivors of Terrorism acoss the globe. 
ii.The first International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was observed on 21st August 2018.
iii.21st August 2020 marks the 3rd commemoration of the nternational Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
About UN:
Secretary General– António Guterres
Headquarters– New York, United States
About UN Counter Terrorism Centre(UNCCT):
The UN Counter Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), is the main capacity-building arm of UNOCT.
Executive Director- Vladimir Voronkov (Under Secretary General for Counter-Terrorism)
<<Read Full News>>

World Senior Citizen’s Day 2020: August 21

i.World Senior Citizen’s Day is observed annually on August 21 to raise awareness about the various issues including age deterioration and elder abuse that affect senior citizens.
ii.The day also acknowledges  and appreciates their achievements, dedication, accomplishments, and services they contribute throughout their lives to the society.
iii.It also reminds the government of its commitment to support the country’s senior citizens and also to ensure that the elderly and people of all ages do not face abuse, hunger and poverty.
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

AP Govt Signed MoU with Reliance Retail, Jio and Allana Group to Help Women SHGs Market Their Products

As part of implementation of the YSR Cheyutha scheme, Andhra Pradesh(AP) government has signed an Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Reliance Retail, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Allana Group to empower women and help women Self-Help Groups(SHGs) in the state to market their products. 
Key People
The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy,  Ministers P. Ramachandra Reddy and S. Appala Raju, Principal Secretaries Gopal Krishna Dwivedi and Praveen Prakash among others.
About AP:
Capital– Amaravathi
National Parks– Papikonda National Park, Sri Venkateswara Park, Rajiv Gandhi National Park
<<Read Full News>>

UP Signs Agreement with Israel for Water Resource Management in Bundelkhand

i.On 20th August 2020, The government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) signed an agreement with the Israel’s Water Resource Minister for the water resource management in Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.
ii.The ‘plan of cooperation’ is initially signed for 2 years, with the interest of the project, this will be extended in the future.
iii.For the execution of Indo-Israel Bundelkhand water project the Pahuj dam reservoir in Jhansi will be used for the integrated drip irrigation along with the service of the experts of Israel.
About Uttar Pradesh:
National Park– Dudhwa National Park (Tiger Reserve)
Lion Breeding Center– Etawah Lion Safari
Zoological park– Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, Kanpur Zoological Park, Shaheed Ashfaq Ullah Khan Prani Udyan(Gorakhpur)
<<Read Full News>>

MP Police’s ‘Ek Sankalp – Bujurgo ke naam’ campaign proves to be boon for senior citizens

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, a unique campaign ‘Ek Sankalp – Bujurgo ke naam’ (a commitment for elders) is being run by the Chhatarpur Police in the midst of Pandemic.
i.The campaign is being run specifically for the elderly people above the age of 60 years. 
ii.Facilities like medicines, vegetables, milk, essential goods telephone, TV recharge, online application are being provided to the house of the elderly people.
iii.Renowned social worker Anna Hazare has praised this campaign being run specifically for the elderly and helpless people.
About Madhya Pradesh:
Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Nuclear Power Plant – Chutka Nuclear Power Plant.
UNESCO World Heritage Site – Khajuraho Temple.

AC GAZE

Google launches Kormo Jobs app in India

Google has launched an android app called “Kormo Jobs” for job seekers in India,which aims to provide entry-level jobs and helps job seekers find and apply for positions across India.It was launched in Bangladesh in 2018 and subsequently in Indonesia.

Proposal to expand NCC in 173 border, coastal districts approved: Defence minister

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal of the National Cadet Corps(NCC) for a major expansion scheme in 173 border and coastal districts,where one lakh new cadets will be inducted and one-third of them will be girls. A total of 83 NCC units will be upgraded (Army 53, Navy 20, Air Force 10) to provide training to the cadets.

Note: The expansion of the NCC was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2020

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