Current Affairs 31 August 2022

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest  Current Affairs 31 August  2022, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2022 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 2022 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 2022 PDF which will be a pedestrian to crack your exams.

Read Current Affairs in CareersCloud APP, Course Name –  Learn Current Affairs – Free Course – Click Here to Download the APP
We are Hiring – Subject Matter Expert | CA Video Creator | Content Developers(Pondicherry)

Click here for Current Affairs 30 August 2022

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoD Minister Rajnath Singh approves 3rd Positive Indigenisation List of 780 strategically important LRUs/Sub-systems/Components

On August 28, 2022, the Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence has approved the third Positive Indigenization List (PIL) of 780 strategically important Line Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Components with a timeline beyond which they will only be procured from the domestic industry.

Why is indigenization of these items required?
To make India self-reliant in defence manufacturing, and to minimize imports by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

  • Indigenization of these items will be taken up through different routes under the ‘Make’ category.
  • ‘Make’ Category aims to achieve self-reliance by involving greater participation of the Indian industry by involving design and development of equipment, thereby, making India as a design leader in these technologies.

Key Points:
i.This list is in continuation to the two PILs of LRUs/Sub-systems/Assemblies/Sub-assemblies/Components that were released in December 2021 and March 2022.

  • These lists contain 2,500 items which are already indigenized and 458 (351+107) items which will be indigenized within the given timelines.
  • Out of 458, 167 items (1st PIL -163, 2nd PIL – 4) have been indigenized, so far.

ii.The DPSUs will soon float Expression of Interest (EoIs)/Request for Proposal (RFPs) and industry may come forward to participate in large numbers.

EAC-PM Releases the Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100EAC-PM Releases the Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100 1The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has released the “Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100,” which will direct India’s journey to becoming a higher-income economy by 2047, when the nation will celebrate its 100th year of independence.

  • The roadmap, which is a component of the India Competitiveness Initiative, will assist in the development of roadmaps for certain Indian states and industries.
  • It is a joint effort of the EAC-PM and the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC), and was created by Dr. Amit Kapoor, Chair of the IFC; Professor Michael E. Porter, and Dr. Christian Ketels of Harvard Business School.

Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100
i.The competitiveness framework created by Professor Michael E. Porter serves as the foundation for the Competitiveness roadmap for India@100.
ii.The India@100 roadmap, which is based on competitiveness strategy, lays the path for India to achieve high income status by 2047 by implementing sector- and region-specific policies based on the “4 S” principles.
About Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM):
Chairman – Dr. Bibek Debroy
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi.
>> Read Full News

PCIM&H Signs MoU with IPC for Inter-Ministerial cooperation for promotion and facilitation of ‘One Herb, One Standard’

Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), under the Ministry of Ayush signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in New Delhi for Inter-Ministerial cooperation for promotion and facilitation of ‘One Herb, One Standard’.

  • The MoU was signed by Prof (Vaidya) P. K. Prajapati, Director (In-Charge), PCIM&H and Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director in the presence of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush.

Key highlights:
i.Objective – To promote public health by facilitating the development of harmonised Herbal drug standards and to achieve ‘One Herb – One Standard’.

  • The One Herb, One Standard and One Nation will improve ease of doing business in India and also improves overall trade of Indian botanicals.

ii.This MoU will further promote the exchange of information in the area of standardisation of Traditional medicine through sharing of scientific information and drug raw materials/extracts, seminars, workshops, training and brainstorming programs.

  • A joint committee will be constituted for the selection of medicinal plants and their constituent markers on technical work.

iii.The sole authority of publication of monographs categorised under the one herb one standard will lie with only PCIM&H.

  • Whereas, the technical content of the monographs will be jointly developed by PCIM&H and IPC and will have the same legality as published in ASU&H pharmacopoeia and Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).

ICG conducted the 10th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise-22 in Chennai

The 10th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) 2022 was conducted by Indian Coast Guard (ICG), for 2 days and inaugurated by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, in Chennai, Tamilnadu.

  • 52 participants have joined the exercise from the ICG, the Navy, and the State police, and 24 foreign observers from 16 countries (Australia, Maldives, Thailand, Indonesia, and China).
  • It is the biennial exercise conducted with the theme “Capacity Building Towards Marine Passenger Safety” and denotes the resolve and commitment of the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB).
  • The 9th edition of SAREX-20 was conducted at Goa for 3 days. It was also inaugurated by Dr. Ajay Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Defence), Ministry of Defence.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IndiGo joins WEF’s ‘Clear Skies for Tomorrow’ CampaignIndiGo, the Country’s largest carrier, joins the World Economic Forum’s (WEFs) sustainable initiative superhead to achieve a significant scale of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The airline became a signatory to the Clear Skies for Tomorrow (CST), India Coalition campaign.
Note: Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST)- to help the aviation sector move towards net-zero emissions.
Highlights: 
i.By SAF, IndiGo could gain a critical mass and bring in cost-efficiency for Widespread adoption in India.
ii.Under the IndiGo Green initiative with a 10% blend of SAF, IndiGo operated its brand new A320 NEO plane from Toulouse, France to New Delhi on 18 February 2022.
iii. In January 2019, CST was launched to provide a crucial mechanism for top executives and public leaders beyond the aviation value chain.
iv.CST is to align on a transition to SAF as part of a proactive pathway for the industry in order to achieve carbon-neutral flying.
v.The Goal is to reach a commercially capable SAF production for industry-wide adoption by 2030 and support a path to net-zero in aviation by 2050.
iv.IndiGo’s domestic market share in July is 58.8% and has more than 80 members in the Global coalition.
About World Economic Forum(WEF):
Founder & Executive Chairman: Professor Klaus Schwab
Establishment: 1971
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Visit of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar to Brazil, Paraguay & Argentina – August 22 -27, 2022Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), undertook an official visit to Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil from August 22-27, 2022, marking the EAM’s first visit to the 3 Latin American countries.
Significance
The visit of the EAM to these 3 countries will provide an opportunity to form high-level interactions with India’s partners in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), explore new areas of collaboration in the post-pandemic era, and exchange views on bilateral and international concerns.
On August 21-22, 2022, Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s EAM, paid an official visit to the Republic of Paraguay, and jointly inaugurated the newly opened Indian Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital, with Julio Cesar Arriola, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Paraguay.
On August 24, 2022, Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s EAM, and Mr. Carlos Alberto Franco França, Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the 8th Brazil-India Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) 2022 in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital. Dr. Jaishankar is on a six-day official visit to Latin America.
On August 25-26, 2022, Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s EAM, made an official visit to the Republic of Argentina, at the invitation of Mr. Santiago Cafiero, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship (FM), Argentina.
About Republic of Argentina:
President – Alberto Fernandez
Capital – Buenos Aires
Currency – Argentine Peso (ARS)
>> Read Full News

BANKING & FINANCE

NABARD Allocates Rs 230 Crore for Rural Infra Projects in Mizoram

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved an allocation of Rs. 230 crore for the approval of rural infrastructure projects in Mizoram under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) XXVIII.
Key Points:  
i.In 1989, NABARD started a sub-office in Mizoram, which was subsequently upgraded to a full-fledged regional office in 1992.
ii.Since the RIDF was established in 1995–1996, NABARD has approved loans totaling Rs. 1744.51 crore for 677 projects covering vital rural infrastructure such as rural roads, bridges, drinking water, health infrastructure, etc.

  • So far, Rs. 1071.81 crore has been disbursed from these funds.

About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD):
Chairman – Dr. G.R. Chintala
Establishment – 1982
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

SEBI amends Preferential Allotment Guidelines for REITs, InvITs

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) amended the pricing norms for preferential allotment of units by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).

  • The notification by SEBI for REIT was issued in exercise of powers conferred under Section 11(1) of the SEBI Act, 1992 and Regulation 33 of the REIT Regulations.
  • For InvIT it was issued in exercise of powers conferred under Section 11(1) of the SEBI Act, 1992 and Regulation 33 of the InvIT Regulations.

Amended Pricing formula:
Under the new framework, the pricing formula for allotment of units under preferential issue will be Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP) of weekly highs and lows for 90 trading days or 10 trading days, whichever is higher.

  • At present, the pricing formula for the same is the VWAP of the last two weeks or the last 26 weeks, whichever is higher.

Key Guidelines from Amended Framework:
i.The preferential issue of units to institutional investors not exceeding five will have to be made at a price not less than the 10 trading days’ VWAP of the related units quoted on a stock exchange preceding the relevant date.
ii.The preferential issue of units will not be made to any person who has sold or transferred any units of the issuer during the 90 trading days preceding the relevant date.

  • At the present, the limit is six months.

iii.In case any person belonging to the sponsor has sold or transferred their units of the issuer during the 90 days preceding the relevant date, all sponsors will be ineligible for allotment of units on the preferential basis.

  • This restriction is not applicable to a sponsor, in case any asset is being acquired by the REIT or InvIT from that sponsor, and that the preferential issue of units is being made to that sponsor, as full consideration for the acquisition of such asset.

What are frequently traded units as the units of REIT or InvIT?
SEBI has also defined frequently traded units as the units of REIT or InvIT in the new amendment.
i.As per it, these are those units in which the traded turnover on a stock exchange during the 240 trading days preceding the relevant date is at least 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding units.
ii.Post allotment, the REIT or InvIT concerned will have to make an application for listing of the units and the same will be listed within two working days from the date of allotment.

  • Currently, the time period is seven days.

iii.In case the REITs or InvIT concerned fail to list the units within the specified time, the money received will be refunded through verifiable means within four working days from the date of the allotment.

  • Further, if the money is not repaid within the specified time, then the REIT or InvIT, manager of such units, and its director or partner will be jointly liable to repay that money with an annual interest rate of 15% from the expiry of the fourth working day.

Points to be noted:
i.In November 2019, SEBI came out with guidelines for preferential issue as well as institutional placement of units by REITs and InvITs.
ii.REIT comprises a portfolio of commercial real assets, a major portion of which is already leased out, InvITs comprise a portfolio of infrastructure assets such as highways, and power transmission assets.

Maha Dhanvarsha: Bank of Maharashtra has introduced a new FD Scheme

On August 29, 2022, the Bank of Maharashtra (BOM) initiated a new Fixed Deposit (FD) scheme namely ‘Maha Dhanvarsha’ which is a special deposit with highest interest rate of 5.50% for regular people and 6% for senior citizens.

  • This interest rate is only valid for a 400-day term.

Key Points:
i.With effect from August 22, 2022, BOM revised the interest rates on FDs under Rs 2 crore. The bank offers FDs terms ranging from 7 days to 10 years with interest rates ranging from 2.75 per cent to 5.40% (currently 5.50%).
ii.For all maturities slabs of 91 days and above, senior citizens are offered an extra rate of 0.50% interest rate for deposits up to Rs 2 crore.
iii.On premature withdrawal of term deposits for deposits up to 1-year maturity (tenure at the time of opening the account) there will be no penalty.

  • Interest rates of prematurely withdrawn term deposits with a maturity period of more than one year will be 1% below the applicable rate.

About Bank of Maharashtra (BOM):
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer– AS Rajeev
Tagline– Ek Parivaar Ek Bank (One Family One Bank)
Headquarter– Pune, Maharashtra

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS    

Gautam Adani Becomes World’s 3rd Richest Person with Net Worth of USD 137.4 Billion

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s richest people, as on 30th August 2022, Adani Group’s chairman Gautam Adani has become the world’s third-richest person with a total net worth of USD 137billion, after overtaking Louis Vuitton chairman Bernard Arnault (France).

  • SpaceX and Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk topped the list with a net worth of  USD 251 billion followed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with a net worth of USD 153 billion.
  • Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Mukesh Ambani is at the 11th position with a total of USD 91.9 billion worth.

Key highlights:
i.This is the first time an Asian person has fallen under the top 3 position of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
ii.The Adani Group is the third largest business conglomerate after Reliance Industries and the Tata Group in India.

  • It comprises 7 publicly listed entities that includes Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, Adani Total Gas, and Adani Transmission.
  • These entities engage with businesses such as spanning energy, ports and logistics, mining and resources, gas, defence and aerospace and airports.

Investments of Adani Enterprises:
i.Over the past 5 years, flagship company Adani Enterprises has invested heavily in new growth sectors that include airports, cement, copper refining, data centres, green hydrogen, petrochemical refining, roads and solar cell manufacturing.
ii.Recently, the Group also announced plans to set up a 4.1 mtpa integrated alumina refinery and a 30 mtpa iron ore beneficiation plant in Odisha at a cost over Rs 580 billion.
Note – As corporate social responsibility (CSR), the Adani Group will contribute Rs 60,000 crore towards charitable activities related to healthcare, education, and skill development, that mainly focuses on rural India.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wins 2022 UNESCO Peace Prize 

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded Félix Houphout-Boigny, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Peace Prize for her courageous decision in 2015 to welcome more than 1.2 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

  • Angela Merkel’s word ‘Wir schaffen das!’ (meaning, We can do it!) created a ray of hope for thousands of refugees fleeing the civil war in their country.
  • She held the office of German Chancellor for a period of 16 years and resigned in 2021.

About Angela Merkel:
i.In November 2005, Angela Merkel became Germany’s 1st female chancellor and served alongside 4 US Presidents, 4 French Presidents, 5 British Prime Ministers and 8 Italian Premiers.
ii.Her chancellorship was marked by 4 major challenges that includes the global financial crisis, Europe’s debt crisis, the 2015-16 influx of refugees to Europe and the coronavirus pandemic.
About Félix Houphouët-Boigny UNESCO Peace Prize:
i.The Félix Houphouët-Boigny UNESCO Peace Prize is awarded to honour living individuals and active public or private bodies or institutions that have made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitution of UNESCO.
ii.It was started in 1989 by a resolution supported by 120 countries and adopted at the 25th General Conference of UNESCO, which was named after the first president of Ivory Coast Félix Houphouët-Boigny .

  • Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. De Klerk were the 1st recipients of UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in 1992.    

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

Lok Sabha MP, Sharma was elected CPA treasurer at the 65th conference in Canada

Anurag Sharma, Minister of Parliament (MP) (Lok Sabha) from the Jhansi-Lalitpur parliamentary constituency (Uttar Pradesh), has been elected as Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) treasurer at its 65th CPA conference held at Halifax in Canada. 

  • Sharma is the 2nd Indian office-bearer in the CPA, the World’s largest and Oldest International Parliamentary Association. 
  • Anurag Sharma will be handling the annual funding of millions of pounds and trust funds for an effective utilisation, also set to add an extra mile of ROI (return on investment).

Note: i. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, along with a hundred- member delegates attended the conference. 
ii. Sharma did his management studies at the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts.     

SPORTS

27th BWF World Championships 2022: Denmarks’ Viktor Axelsen won; India grabbed 1st bronze in Men’s Doubles The 27th edition of Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships officially known as the Total Energies BWF World Championships 2022 was held from August 22-28, 2022 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

  • The event saw the participation of 363 Competitors from 47 nations. From India, 26 players participated
  • The 2023 BWF World Championships is a badminton tournament which will be held on 21 to 27 August 2023 in Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • India ranked at 9th spot alongside Germany. Both grabbed 1 bronze medal.

Highlights:
i.China grabbed the top spot with 5 medals including 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze. It is followed by Japan at 2nd spot with 3 medals including 1 gold.

ii.Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen won his second badminton world title by beating Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-5, 21-16 in the finals.He is currently ranked at Number 1.

iv.Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retained her badminton women’s world title in front of her home crowd in Tokyo, beating China’s Chen Yufei 21-12, 10-21, 21-14.

India’s Performance :-

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty won the first ever bronze medal in Men’s doubles. They lost by 22-20 18-21 16-21 to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the semifinals.

  • With this, they became the first Indian pair to win a medal in the men’s doubles event at the world badminton championships.

Medal Tally of 2022 BWF World Championships:

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 China 2 1 2 5
2 Japan 1 1 1 3
3 Denmark 1 0 0 1
3 Malaysia 1 0 0 1
9 India 0 0 1 1
9 Germany 0 0 1 1


Gold Medal Winners:
Event Winner Runner-up
Men’s Singles Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand)
Women’s Singles Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) Chen Yufei (China)
Men’s Doubles Aaron Chia (Malaysia) & Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia) Mohammad Ahsan (Indonesia) & Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia)
Women’s Doubles Chen Qingchen (China) & Jia Yifan (China) Kim So-yeong (South Korea) & Kong Hee-yong (South Korea)
Mixed Doubles Zheng Siwei (China) & Huang Yaqiong (China) Yuta Watanabe (Japan) & Arisa Higashino (Japan)

AFI partners with HSBC India to support young women athletes

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) parternes with HSBC India to support women athletes in India, especially youngsters.

  • Under the partnership, promising girls will be picked from the National Inter District Championships for Under-14 and Under-16 categories and will provide necessary training to perform on the global stage and Special coaching camps will be established for the selected athletes.
  • HSBC will develop and support women’s participation in various track and field disciplines and also support to raise their performance levels in international events.

India’s first medallist in World Athletics Championships Anju Bobby George, Birmingham Commonwealth Games medallists Priyanka Goswami (10,000m race walk) and Annu Rani (javelin throw) and Asian Games silver winner (400m) Hima Das were also present on the occasion.

World U20 Wrestling Championships 2022: Sumit & Rohit Wins bronze; India Finishes with 16 Medals

Indian Greco-Roman wrestlers Sumit and Rohit Dahiya won bronze medals on the final day of the 45th edition of 2022 World U20 Wrestling Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria that was held between 15th August 2022 and 21st August 2022.

  • India ended the World U20 Wrestling Championships 2022 with 16 medals including 1 gold, 4 silver and 11 bronze medals.
  • India ranks 3rd in Medal Tally. Iran was placed top spot followed by the United States of America(USA).

Highlights:
i.Rohit Dahiya, who won silver and bronze at the Asian juniors earlier in 2021, beat Ukraine’s Ruslan Abdiiev and the world cadet bronze-medallist Sumit beat Turkish wrestler Mert Ilbars, a world junior bronze-medallist.
ii.Six Indians won medals in the men’s freestyle, which ranked India in the 3rd position in the men’s freestyle team rankings with 112 points.
iii.India’s Mahendra Gaikwad was the best performer in the men’s freestyle and became 1st Indian to reach the final of a junior world championship in the men’s 125kg, who won silver medal in the contest.
Antim Panghal Becomes India’s First-Ever U-20 World Wrestling Champion
Antim Panghal, a 17-year-old wrestler from Haryana became the 1st Indian women to win the title of Under-20 world champion by defeating Kazakhstan’s Atlyn Shagayeva.

  • This helped the Indian women finish 2nd in the women’s freestyle team rankings with 160 points after Japan with 230 points.
  • Antim Panghal had won gold in the 2022 Asian Junior Championships and bronze at the 2021 Cadet World Championships.

Winners:
Women’s freestyle:

Winner Medal Category
Antim Panghal Gold Women’s 53kg
Sonam Malik Silver Women’s 62kg
Priyanka Silver Women’s 65kg
Priya Malik Silver Women’s 76kg
Priyanshi Prajapat Bronze Women’s 50kg
Sito Bronze Women’s 57kg
Reetika Bronze Women’s 72kg


Men’s freestyle:
Winner Medal Category
Mahendra Gaikwad Silver Men’s 125kg
Abhishek Dhaka Bronze Men’s 57kg
Mohit Kumar Bronze Men’s 61kg
Sujeet Kalkal Bronze Men’s 65kg
Mulayam Yadav Bronze Men’s 70kg
Sagar Jaglan Bronze Men’s 74kg
Neeraj Bhardwaj Bronze Men’s 97kg


Greco-Roman:
Winner Medal Category
Sumit Bronze Men’s 60kg
Rohit Dahiya Bronze Men’s 82kg

The 15-year-old Linthoi won 1st ever Gold in World Cadet Judo Championship 

Linthoi Chanambam, a 15-year-old Indian judoka, from Manipur won a historic Gold, in the Women’s 57kg contest (any age group category), swaying over Brazil’s Bianca Reis. It is India’s first-ever medal in the Judo World Championships, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
The event Judo World Championships took place between 24-28 August, is the highest level of international judo competition for juniors aged 18 years or less.

  • In 2017, she won a gold medal at the Sub-Junior National Judo Championships, since then she started to train at JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sports judo programme. 
  • Before this historic win, Linthoi won the gold medal at National Cadet Judo Championship in 2021, following this victory she won a bronze medal in the Asia-Oceania Cadet Judo Championship in Beirut, Lebanon. 

OBITUARY

Indian Economist & former Planning Commission member Padma Bhushan Abhijit Sen passed away

Renowned Indian economist and a former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, Abhijit Sen passed away at the age of  72 years due to heart attack in New Delhi, Delhi.
Note: In 2014, the Planning Commission was replaced by the newly formed NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India).
About Abhijit Sen:
i.Abhijit Sen was born on 26 November 1950 in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
ii.He was a member of the Planning Commission of India from 2004-2014.
ii.He was Member of the State Planning Boards of West Bengal and Tripura, Prime Minister (PM)’s Taskforce on Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, and the Expert Committee on Rural Credit.
iii.He served as the chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) and authored the report of the  High Level Committee on Long Term Grain Policy.
iv.He also served as the Chairman of the Tenth Plan Subgroup on Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
iv.He also served as the Adviser/Consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), OECD Development Centre, the UN University World Institute of Development Research, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Asian Development Bank (ADB) etc.
Award– In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for public service.

Oscar-winning Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston passed away

Oscar Award-winning animator Ralph Eggleston passed away at the age of 56 years due to pancreatic cancer in  California, United States of America (USA).
About Ralph Eggleston:
i.Ralph Eggleston was born on 18 October 1965 in Lake Charles, Louisiana (United States).
ii.He was an American animator, art director, storyboard artist, writer, film director, and production designer at Pixar Animation Studios.

  • Pixar’s animated short film “For the Birds”, written and directed by Ralph Eggleston won the award for Best Animated Short at the 74th Academy Awards (2002).
  • He also won his first Annie Award for Best Art Direction for the movie ‘’Toy Story’’.
  • He later won the Annie Awards for “Finding Nemo” in 2004, “Inside Out” in 2015 and the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in 2016.

iv.Other Notable works include Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Inside Out, Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story, and A Bug’s Life.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

‘’Indian Banking in Retrospect – 75 years of Independence’’ by Dr Ashutosh Raravikar

Dr Ashutosh Raravikar, Director in the Department of Economic & Policy Research(DEPR), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) authored a new book titled “Indian Banking in Retrospect – 75 years of Independence”. The book is published by Aswad Prakashan Private Limited.
Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, has written the foreword of the book.

  • The books highlights various economic development such as LPG (Liberalisation Privatisation and Globalisation) reforms during 1991, Nationalisation of Banks in 1969 for the first time, the licencing of new private sector banks post 1991, setting up of Payment banks, Small Finance Bank (SFB) and consolidation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) etc.
  • It  also mentioned about financial inclusion, Prime Minister’s Jan DhanYojana (PM JDY)  impact on the banking system in India.

Subedar Major Yadav authored the Autobiography titled “The Hero of Tiger Hill” 

The autobiography “The Hero of Tiger Hill: Autobiography of a Param Vir”, is about the inspiring story of Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav (Retd), the Youngest Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardee, at the age of 19 for his actions in the 1999 Kargil conflict. 

This autobiography is published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors. 

  • Subedar Major Yadav’s idea in writing about him began when he was invited to the top colleges in India, he noticed that his simple but honest answers made a lot of impact among young students. 
  • His motive in writing the autobiography is to motivate youngsters of India and infuse a sense of patriotism. 
  • The book was mainly focused on the night of July 3, 1999, 19 years old Yadav was given a crucial task with the Ghatak Platoon of 18 Grenadiers Regiment in order to capture the Tiger Hill

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2022- August 30

The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is annually observed on 30th August across the world to commemorate and pay respect to those who have undergone enforced disappearances.

  • Enforced disappearance is a widespread and continuous violation of human rights that occurs every day until the whereabouts of the missing person are determined.
  • The day helps in gathering support and assistance for the families of the victims of enforced disappearance.

>> Read Full News

International Whale Shark Day 2022- August 30

International Whale Shark Day is annually observed across the globe on 30 August to spread awareness about the importance of whale sharks (Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus) and their conservation and efforts to protect them.

  • The theme of Whale Shark Day 2022 is “The Future of Sharks: Guardians of Our Seas.”

Background:
i.30th August has been declared as the International Whale Shark Day by the host of the Second International Whale Shark Conference, National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), Isla Holbox, Mexico.

  • This was a part of the Whale Shark Campaign in Gujarat (India), a joint venture of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), International Fund for Animal Welfare, Gujarat Forest Department and Tata Chemicals Limited.

Note:
In the 1820s, the first whale shark specimen known to science was discovered off the South African coast. Dr Andrew Smith formally described this species as the largest living shark in the ocean.
Campaign in India:
i.On the occasion of “The International Whale Shark Day (30 August 2022), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a nature conservation organisation,  launched a year-long ‘save the Whale Shark campaign’ in the Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep.
ii.S. Angara, Minister for Ports, Fisheries and Inland Water Transport inaugurated the campaign at Milagres Hall in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
iii.The campaign will run along the coasts of Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands in collaboration with the Forest and Fisheries Departments of Karnataka, Kerala and the Lakshadweep administration.
Note: In 2001, India included the whale sharks in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, as a part of its effort to conserve the whale sharks.
About Whale Sharks:
i.The Whale Sharks is the largest fish on earth which can grow upto 18 metres and weigh as much as 21 tonnes.
ii.They are distributed widely across tropical and warm  temperate seas, with major subpopulations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
iii.Whale shark has been listed as ‘Endangered’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2016.

STATE NEWS

National Sports Day: Uttarakhand CM Launches ‘CM Udyman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana’

On the occasion of National Sports Day (29th August 2022), Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister (CM) Pushkar Singh Dhami launched ‘CM Udyman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana’, during the program organised in the Police Line Maidan, Dehradun Uttarakhand.
About CM Udyman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana:
i.Under the scheme, a sports scholarship of Rs 1500 per month will be given to the budding sportspersons between the age group of eight to 14 years.

  • Every year a total of 3900 budding sports persons will be given scholarships, which will include 1950 boys and 1950 girls.

ii.In 2021, the sports policy was launched by the state government to promote sports in Uttarakhand, in which the prize money given to sportspersons for winning medals at national and international level has been increased by almost 100 percent. .

  • Similarly the amount has been increased for the coaches and the disabled players have also been given equal rights like normal players.

Other announcements made on the occasion:
i.Considering the shortage of sports trainers under the Sports Department, 8 departmental sports trainers will also be appointed for each district.
ii.The Chief Minister Sports Development Fund will be established to be given financial benefits to the students.
ii.Simultaneously, the Secrets of the Sports Department, Uttarakhand will be increased to honorarium according to the honorarium payable to the contract trainers of the Indian Sports Authority.
iii.Malchang games will also be included in the game policy. Efforts will be made to re-implement 4 percent reservation for skilled players in the program.
Other highlights:
i.The State Sports Award, Himalayan Gems Sports Awards, Devbhoomi Uttarakhand Sports Ratna, and Devbhoomi Uttarakhand Dronacharya Awards will be provided to encourage sports players.
ii.The players will be provided with appointment of government jobs in Uttarakhand and also players in the age of 8 to 23 years will be provided with scholarships to develop interest in the sports area from the ground level.

  • Additionally, 5 percent Sports quota has been arranged for admission in business courses in universities and also arrangements have been made for the construction of sports inclining facilities through private sports areas.

NHPC,Himachal Pradesh signs agreement for 500 MW Dugar Hydroelectric Project

On August 26, 2022 the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Private Limited (NHPC) signed an  implementation agreement with the Government of Himachal Pradesh for the 500 megawatt (MW) Dugar Hydroelectric Project in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. 
Key People:

  • The pact was signed in the presence of Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur and Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of NHPC, Abhay Kuma Singh
  • The pact was signed by Suresh Kumar, NHPC’s General Manager, and Harikesh Meena, Director, Directorate of Energy (DoE), Himachal Pradesh.

Key points:
i.On 15 September, 2019, both NHPC and Government of Himachal Pradesh signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 449 MW Dugar Hydroelectric Project.
ii.NHPC executed the detailed survey and investigations, techno-economic studies and submitted a detailed project capacity of 500 MW to Central Electricity Authority (CEA). 
iii. An agreement to the Dugar Hydroelectric project was issued by CEA on April 26, 2022. The clearance of Forest and environment are in process. 
iv.Dugar hydroelectric project is expected to produce 1,759.85 million units per year. 

*******

*******

List of Less Important News – Click Here

*****Click Here View – AC Excluded News*****

Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)

S.no Current Affairs 31 August 2022
1 MoD Minister Rajnath Singh approves 3rd Positive Indigenisation List of 780 strategically important LRUs/Sub-systems/Components
2 EAC-PM Releases the Competitiveness Roadmap for India@100
3 PCIM&H Signs MoU with IPC for Inter-Ministerial cooperation for promotion and facilitation of ‘One Herb, One Standard’
4 ICG conducted the 10th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise-22 in Chennai
5 IndiGo joins WEF’s ‘Clear Skies for Tomorrow’ Campaign
6 Visit of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar to Brazil, Paraguay & Argentina – August 22 -27, 2022
7 NABARD Allocates Rs 230 Crore for Rural Infra Projects in Mizoram
8 SEBI amends Preferential Allotment Guidelines for REITs, InvITs
9 Maha Dhanvarsha: Bank of Maharashtra has introduced a new FD Scheme
10 Gautam Adani Becomes World’s 3rd Richest Person with Net Worth of USD 137.4 Billion
11 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wins 2022 UNESCO Peace Prize
12 Lok Sabha MP, Sharma was elected CPA treasurer at the 65th conference in Canada
13 27th BWF World Championships 2022: Denmarks’ Viktor Axelsen won; India grabbed 1st bronze in Men’s Doubles
14 AFI partners with HSBC India to support young women athletes
15 World U20 Wrestling Championships 2022: Sumit & Rohit Wins bronze; India Finishes with 16 Medals
16 The 15-year-old Linthoi won 1st ever Gold in World Cadet Judo Championship
17 Indian Economist & former Planning Commission member Padma Bhushan Abhijit Sen passed away
18 Oscar-winning Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston passed away
19 ‘’Indian Banking in Retrospect – 75 years of Independence’’ by Dr Ashutosh Raravikar
20 Subedar Major Yadav authored the Autobiography titled “The Hero of Tiger Hill”
21 International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2022- August 30
22 International Whale Shark Day 2022- August 30
23 National Sports Day: Uttarakhand CM Launches ‘CM Udyman Khiladi Unnayan Yojana’
24 NHPC signed a pact with Himachal Pradesh for 500 MW Dugar Hydroelectric Project





Exit mobile version