Current Affairs 28 August 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 28 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 28 August 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NeGD and CSC E-Governance Services India Ltd Inked MoU to Facilitate UMANG app services at CSCs 

i.On August 26, 2020, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) with CSC (Common Service Center) e Governance Services India Limited to facilitate delivery of UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-Age Governance) app services to citizens through the network of 3.75 lakh CSCs.
ii.This will benefit those citizens who either do not have access to smartphones or are not comfortable accessing app based e services on their own. 
iii.Notably, all the UMANG services at CSCs are available at zero cost and will be provided by CSC operators Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs).
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY):
Union Minister– Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Dhotre
About National e-Governance Division (NeGD):
President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Abhishek Singh
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Union Minister Piyush Goyal launches National GIS-enabled Land Bank system

On 27th August, 2020 Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal e-launched the National GIS(Geographic Information System)-enabled Land Bank system (https://iis.ncog.gov.in/parks) for six states. 
The platform will provide a database of industrial areas/clusters across the country and will serve as a one-stop solution to the free and easy accessibility of all industrial information.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology:
Union Minister – Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister of State (MoS) – Sanjay Dhotre 
About National e-Governance Division (NeGD):
President, Chief Executive Officer – Abhishek Singh
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

AIFC signs MoU with FCA for the development of Football in India and Australia

On 27th August 2020, the Association of Indian Football Coaches (AIFC) and Football Coaches Australia(FCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) to support the development of football in both India and Australia. 
Objective:
To encourage the involvement of more female coaches and increase the access to football for all participants.
Features:
i.This MoU introduces standard contracts for the coaches with the country which provides the minimum employment conditions and structured and resourced process for termination of employment.
ii.Under this MoU AIFC and FCA will support each other to educate and equip the coaches and work together for the betterment of the coaches.
iii.Both the organisations will share the best practices, learn from each other and grow and develop together.
Benefits:
This will support the collective advancement in professional development, employment, cultural and commercial opportunities for the football coaches in both FCA and AIFC.
Recent Related News:
i.Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju inaugurated & launched a 25 day Khelo India Community Coach Development programme, an online development programme to equip 15,000 Physical Education(PE) Teachers and community coaches across India.
About FCA:
President– Phil Moss
Chief Executive– Glenn Warry
About AIFC:
General Secretary– Mr. Kushal Das
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ericsson & UNICEF Partnered to Map School Internet Connectivity in 35 Countries

i.On 26th August 2020, Ericsson, Swedish Telecom Company, partnered with United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) to map internet connectivity landscape for schools in 35 countries by the end of 2023 to provide digital learning access to the children.
ii.This joint initiative is a part of the Giga initiative launched by UNICEF and International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in September 2019 to provide internet connection to every school and their surrounding communities.
iii.Ericsson is the first private sector partner to make a million-dollar commitment to the Giga initiative and global UNICEF partner for School Connectivity Mapping.
About Ericsson:
President and CEO– Börje Ekholm
Headquarters– Stockholm, Sweden
About UNICEF:
Executive Director– Henrietta Holsman Fore
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)
<<Read Full News>>

A Third of World’s School Children are Unable to Access Remote Learning Due to COVID-19 Shutdown: UNICEF Report

i.On 27th August 2020, United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) released the Report “ COVID-19: Are Children Able to Continue Learning During School Closures?”,
ii.The report states that at least a third of the school children around the world, which is around 463 million children couldn’t not access remote learning amid the closure of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic.
ii.This report is a global analysis of potential reach of remote learning policies with the data from around 100 countries.
About UNICEF:
Executive Director– Henrietta Holsman Fore
Headquarter– New York, United States (US)
<<Read Full News>>

Som Prakash Represented India in 5th BRICS Industry Ministers Meeting Held Through VC

i.Som Prakash, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry represented India and addressed the 5th BRICS ( Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Industry Ministers Meeting held through Virtual Conference. 
ii.In the meeting they discussed the ways to enhance cooperation in areas like 5G, Artificial Intelligence(AI) & industrial Internet, among BRICS countries.
iii.The meeting adopted a Joint Declaration to commence the implementation of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR).
About BRICS:
Chairmanship– Russia (India will assume the Chairmanship of BRICS in 2021)
Members–  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Announced Purchase & Sale of Govt Securities under OMO worth Rs 20,000 crore

i.On August 25, 2020, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities (G-Secs) under open market operations (OMO) for an aggregate amount of Rs 20,000 crore in two equal tranches of Rs 10,000 crore on August 27, 2020 and September 03, 2020 on account of current and evolving liquidity and market conditions.
ii.For the OMO held on August 27, the RBI bought longer-dated government securities maturing between 2024 to 2032 viz. 6.18%, 8.24%, 5.79% and 7.95% maturing on November 4, 2024, February 15, 2027, May 11, 2030 and August 28, 2032, respectively. On the other hand, it sold securities that mature between October and November, 2020.
iii.The securities for the second tranche auction on September 03, 2020 will be announced separately.
Static points about Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
It was established on the recommendation of the Hilton Young Commission.
RBI is responsible only for printing the currency notes. Minting of coins is done by the Government of India.
Dr.Manmohan Singh is the only Prime Minister to have also served as the Governor of RBI.
<<Read Full News>>

Innoviti and Visa Partnered to develop installments platform for face-to-face transactions

i.Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.(Innoviti) and Visa have partnered to develop an installment platform, which will enable the issuers to extend credit to their cardholders at face-to-face Point of Sale(PoS) in India.
ii.The installments platform with the suite of platform capabilities leveraging Innoviti’s uniPAYNEXT platform and Visa’s APIs, provides shoppers the ability to choose how they pay during the purchase.
iii.As part of this partnership, Innoviti and Visa plan to collaborate and pilot a variety of installment use cases.
About Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd:
Registered office– Bangalore, Karnataka
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Rajeev Agrawal
About Visa:
Headquarters– California, United States
Chairman and CEO– Alfred F. Kelly, Jr.
<<Read Full News>>

HDFC Bank to Partner with Adobe to Enhance Digital Customer Experiences

On 27th August, 2020 HDFC Bank announced a strategic partnership with Adobe to enhance the Digital Experiences of its Customers.  The partnership is powered by Adobe Experience Cloud Solutions and will help HDFC Bank to deliver personalised digital experiences to existing as well as new customers, at anytime and anywhere.
About HDFC Bank:
MD & CEO (Designate) – Sashidhar Jagdishan (Will Succeed Aditya Puri on October 27, 2020)
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Launched 1st of its Kind ‘Smart Assist’, a Real-time Assistance Service

i.Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited has launched  ‘Smart Assist’, a 1st of its kind technology service in the insurance industry. 
ii.Through a secure screen sharing feature, the service allows the customers to connect with the company to avail real-time assistance on completing the purchase anywhere. 
iii.It helps the customers to know about product details while enjoying virtual assistance and maintaining social distance protocol.
About Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited:
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer– Tarun Chugh
HeadQuarters– Pune, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Mahindra Signed MoU with Israeli Firm – REE Automotive to Develop Electric Commercial Vehicles

On 26th August 2020, Mahindra & Mahindra(M&M), a Mumbai based company (a part of Mahindra Group) signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with REE Automotive, a Tel-Aviv, Israel based startup firm to explore development and manufacturing of electric commercial vehicles for the global market.
Significance:
i.The corner modular architecture of REE integrated with the design, engineering, sourcing, ecosystem and production capacity of Mahindra will provide zero emission vehicles, including the autonomous vehicles.
ii.This will improve the mahindra’s capabilities in the Electric Vehicle(EV) sector.
Features:
i.This strategic collaboration will improve the corner module and platform technology of integrating powertrain, suspension and steering components of REE
ii.This partnership aims to provide 2-2.5 lakh electric commercial vehicle units over years to support the needs of REE’s global customers and potential volumes of domestic and international markets of Mahindra.
iii.REE will utilise the Mahindra’s global presence, volume flexibility capability, engineering and product development.
iv.REE’s transformational technology designed for current and future e-mobility application will in terms of weight, space and total body design flexibility.
v.The scalability of the platform makes it suitable for EVs like commercial vehicles, mid-duty delivery trucks, last mile delivery, passenger cars, taxis and shuttles.
About REE:
Co-founder & CEO– Daniel Barel 
Headquarters– Tel Aviv, Israel
About Mahindra & Mahindra:
Chairman of Mahindra Group– Anand Mahindra
Managing Director & CEO– Dr Pawan Goenka
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld becomes Youngest Author to Win International Booker Prize for the Book ‘The Discomfort of Evening’

On 26th August, 2020 Dutch Author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker Prize for the Literary fiction book ‘The Discomfort of Evening’. Rijneveld became the youngest author to win the prize at the age of 29.
The Book was first published in Dutch in 2018 and eventually translated into English by Michele Hutchison. The International Booker prize is separate from the main Booker Prize.
<<Read Full News>>

        APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS 

Centre Sets up Panel to Modify the Charter of DRDO labs; Headed by Prof V Ramagopal Rao

i.On August 24, 2020, G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D), and Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has constituted the five-member committee under the chairmanship of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi director Valipe Ramagopal Rao to review charter of duties of 57 DRDO labs on the basis of current and futuristic defence and battlefield needs.
ii.The panel also work towards the minimising the overlap of technologies they are working on at a time.
iii.The panel will submit its report within 45 days.
<<Read Full News>>

        ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI Approved Acquisition by Tau Investment, Lightstone Fund S.A and Carlyle Group’s Comfort Investments II

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the following proposals:
i.Acquisition of up to 64.90% of share capital of J B Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd by Tau Investment.
ii.Under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002, CCI has approved the acquisition by Lightstone Fund S.A., for and on behalf of Lightstone Global Fund (LGT) of certain equity stakes in 91Streets, Ascent, API, Aahaan and Lokprakash(all are Pvt Ltd).
iii.Acquisition of Nxtra Data Ltd by Carlyle Group’s Comfort Investments II.
About CCI:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman– Ashok Kumar Gupta
<<Read Full News>>

        SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Alumni Council Partnered with Russoft & Moscow State University to Build World’s Largest & Fastest Hybrid Quantum Computer

i.On August 26, 2020, Indian Institute of Technology’s (IIT) Alumni Council has signed an agreement with Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and Russoft, an association of software developing companies, to access and transfer key technologies from Russia to build the world’s largest and fastest hybrid quantum computer in India.
ii.The objective of the agreement is to use technology in the areas of healthcare, agriculture, transport and logistics, pollution and weather forecast to achieve the mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
iii.The agreement with Russia is the first step to aggregate global key technologies from front runners.
About IIT Alumni Council:
It is the largest global body of alumni, students and faculty, spread across all the 23 IITs and partnering Technical Institutes of Excellence (TieNet).
President– Ravi Sharma
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Russoft:
President– Valentin Makarov
Headquarter– St.Petersburg, Russia
<<Read Full News>>

Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched mobile App, ‘DGNCC’ for NCC Training

On 27th August, 2020 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Directorate General National Cadet Corps (DGNCC), a mobile training app which will help in conducting a countrywide online training for the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
i.Since the training of NCC Cadets is mostly contact based training, it has been affected due to the pandemic.
ii.As schools/colleges are not likely to open in near future, Defence Ministry has come up with DGNCC app to utilise the digital medium to impart training to the cadets.
iii.The Mobile Training App will provide NCC cadets the entire training material including syllabus, summary, training videos and frequently asked questions. 
iv.The app will also have a query option, through which the cadet can post his questions regarding syllabus. It will be answered by a panel of qualified instructors. 
Recent Related News:
i.The Defence Ministry has signed a contract worth around Rs 1,200 crore with Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division(TPSED) for Phase-II of Modernisation of AirField Infrastructure(MAFI) of 37 airfields for Indian Air Force(IAF), Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
ii.Directorate General Defence Estates(DGDE), Ministry of Defence & eGov Foundation signed MoU to implement a cloud-based platform to deliver various citizen services under the program e-Chhawani to drive e-governance and improved citizen services across all 62 cantonment boards in the country.
About Defence Ministry:
Union Minister – Rajnath Singh
Minister of State – Shripad Yesso Naik

SPORTS

Australian Cricketer Cameron White announces Retirement from Professional Cricket

On August 21, 2020 Australian All-Rounder Cameron Leon White announced his retirement from Cricket at the age of 37. He has captained the Australian Team Seven Times including One Day International (ODI) & Twenty20 Internationals(T20I).
i.He has represented Australia in 4 Tests, 91 ODIs & 47 T20Is scoring 146 runs in Tests, 2072 in ODIs and 984 runs in T20I.
ii.He has played for clubs like Adelaide Strikers, Deccan Chargers, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Northamptonshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Somerset, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Victoria Bushrangers.
iii.He last played for Australia in an ODI against England in 2018.

OBITUARY

Computer Pioneer Arnold Spielberg, who Co-designed GE-225 Mainframe Computer Passed Away

Arnold Spielberg(Full Name- Arnold Meyer Spielberg), a Pioneered computer designer & an innovative engineer passed away at the age of 103 in Los Angeles, California of natural causes. He along with Charles Propster designed(in late 1950s) the GE-225 mainframe computer, while he worked for General Electric.  He is the father of filmmaker Steven Spielberg. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 6, 1917.
Key Info 
The GE-225 mainframe computer enabled the researchers at Dartmouth College to develop the programming language BASIC, which led the rise of personal computers in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Key Achievements of Arnold Spielberg
i.Arnold Spielberg graduated from the University of Cincinnati and joined RCA Corporation, later he was promoted as Manager of Advanced Product Development.
ii.He helped to develop the 1st point-of-sale computerised cash register, it is regarded as his greatest contribution.
iii.He designed and patented the 1st electronic library system,which was implemented as an interrogation system for data stored on an array of magnetic tapes.
iv.After working in RCA corporation he worked in General Electric.
v.He helped Steven Spielberg to  produce his first full-fledged movie, ‘Firelight’, made in 1963.
Note– Apart from Steven Spielberg he has 3 daughters: screenwriter Anne Spielberg, producer Nancy Spielberg and marketing executive Sue Spielberg.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Army Chief General Released a Book Titled “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” Authored by University students

General Manoj Mukund(MM) Naravane, Chief of Army Staff released a book titled, “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” authored by university students, ranging from the undergraduate level to doctoral candidates. The book contains various themes pertaining to  national security. It aims to develop strategic thinking among the youth of this country. The book was published by Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), the Army think-tank.

• The book is a tribute to Field Marshal Manekshaw, the strategist of 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, that resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh.

Note– Ramandeep Singh Sandhu and  Manjari Singh edited the book
Gist about the Book
i.The book is a collection of the 2018-2019 Field Marshal Manekshaw Essay Competition (FMMEC) award-winning and few select essays, which are divided into three themes, namely: Conceptual understanding and facets of India’s national security; Technological evolution, cyber threats and security and national, regional and global experiences.
ii.It contains the messages from Rajnath Singh, Union Defence Minister; Ajit Kumar Doval, KC and MM Naravane. This will improve the morale of the students and the young authors.
Key Info
A complimentary copy of the book will be  sent to all the universities (central, state, private, deemed-to-be) and to all the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Law Universities (NLUs) and Business Schools. This decision was taken by Indian Army and CLAWS.

STATE NEWS

Delhi Government Launched ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ Fitness Campaign for Students Confined in Homes

On 26th August 2020, Delhi Government launched the Fitness Campaign – “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind”, for the students who are confined in their homes because of the lockdown imposed on Schools and colleges due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind:
As a part of the “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” campaign, a YouTube channel has been started which uploads a video on every wednesday, by which the students can practice for a week to maintain fitness and make up for the loss of physical activities amid pandemic.
Other Initiative:
i.Due to the national lockdown from 25th March 2020, the schools and colleges opted for online classes and digital learning. 
ii.The Delhi government has organised an online Entrepreneurial Mindset (EMC) Bootcamp to incorporate the entrepreneurial abilities among the students.
iii.The bootcamp began on 10th June 2020 with the participation of 8 partner organisations and concluded on 26th August 2020.
iv.Around 14 batches of 25 to 32 students each were formed in the camp.
Recent Related News:
i.Union HRD Minister and Sports MoS launched ‘Fit Hai to Hit Hai India’ webinar & ‘Fit India Talks’ Sessions for School Students under India’s flagship Fit India campaign.
ii.Union HRD minister launches a week-long ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign for crowdsourcing of ideas so as to improve the online education ecosystem of India,
About Delhi:
Zoological Parks– National Zoological Park 
Dance– Kathak
Stadium– Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (Cricket Stadium), Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (Hockey Stadium), Ambedkar Stadium (Football Stadium).

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