Current Affairs 8 & 9 August 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 8 & 9 August 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 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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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

TRIFED’s 34th Foundation Day – 6th August 2021

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs(MoTA), celebrated its 34th Foundation day on 6th August 2021 to raise awareness about the issues related to the trade in tribal regions and the need to ensure a fair deal for them.

• TRIFED was established on 6th August 1987 to enhance tribal development through marketing support for handicrafts and Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP).
• The winners of the TRIFED’s Van Dhan Awards 2020-2021 were announced during the event.
• The award recognises the contributions and achievements of the Van Dhan Self Help Groups (VDSHG), Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs), tribal artisans, forest produce gatherers and people working for them.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India ranked 32nd in Finding Innovative Solutions to Combat COVID-19; US Tops: Startup Blink ReportThe 2nd Edition of the ‘COVID-19 Innovation report 2021’ released by Startup Blink in association with Health Innovation Exchange & UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) has ranked India 32nd (score 0.396) in the global coronavirus innovation rankings for countries. The US has topped the rankings, followed by Israel & Canada.
i.The report ranks the 40 countries and 100 cities in the world based on Innovation solutions developed to combat the pandemic.
ii.In the Cities Rankings, San Francisco Bay (US), New York (US) & Moscow (Russia) were ranked as the Top 3 cities. India has 2 cities – Bengaluru, Karnataka (49th Rank), New Delhi (55th) in the top 100 rankings.
iii.The 1st Edition of the report was released in June 2020, in which India was ranked 26th.
Top Coronavirus Innovation Countries

About Startup Blink
Founder & CEO – Eli David
>>Read Full News

Rajkumar Ranjan Singh represents India at 28th ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting 2021Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led the Indian Delegation at the 28th Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting 2021. The meeting was held virtually under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam.
i.During the meeting, the ARF member countries exchanged views on international and regional issues.
ii.The Ministers adopted 2 Joint Statements on i) Promoting the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda & ii) Preventing and Combating Cybercrime.
EAM Jaishankar participates in 11th EAS Foreign Ministers Meeting
India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar participated in the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting, which was chaired by Brunei Darussalam.

• During the meeting, S. Jaishankar proposed to commemorate 2022 as the ASEAN-India friendship year on occasion of the 30th Anniversary (India joined ASEAN in 1992).

About Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
Chair of 2021 – Brunei Darussalam (Theme of its ASEAN Chairmanship is “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”).
Secretary-General – H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi (2018 -2022)
Headquarters – Jakarta, Indonesia
>>Read Full News

Kiren Rijiju Attends 8th Justice Ministers Meet 2021 of SCOUnion Minister for Law & Justice, Kiren Rijiju participated in the 8th Justice Ministers Meeting 2021 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held at Tajikistan virtually. The meeting was hosted by Tajikistan (2021 SCO Presidency).

• The meeting was chaired by M.K.Ashuriyon, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan.
• SCO is celebrating its 20th Anniversary under the slogan ‘20 years of SCO: Cooperation for Stability and Prosperity’.

Key Points of Kiren Rijiju’s Address
i.Kiren Rijiju informed the members about India’s proposed move to launch ‘e-Lok Adalat’, a tool which aims to provide faster, transparent and accessible options to settle disputes by combining technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
ii.Kiren Rijiju urged the SCO Member States to promote exchange of ideas, best practices and experiences in identified areas.
iii.The next meeting of the Justice Ministers will be held in Pakistan in 2022.
Shanghai Cooperation  Organisation (SCO)
It is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance that was established in 2001 in Shanghai, China.  Founding members are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan.
i.Total members – 8; Observers – 4

• Members – China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan, India & Pakistan
• Observers – Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran & Mongolia

ii.India & Pakistan joined SCO in 2017.
iii.SCO has 2 permanent bodies –  SCO Secretariat based in Beijing, China & Executive Committee of RATS based in Tashkent.
About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Secretary General – Vladimir Norov
Headquarters – Beijing, China
Chairmanship of 2021 – Tajikistan
About Tajikistan
Capital – Dushanbe
Currency- Tajikistani somoni
President – Emomali Rahmon

1st Deputy NSA Level Meeting of Colombo Security Conclave held VirtuallyThe 1st Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) level meeting of ‘Colombo Security Conclave’ took place virtually between India, Maldives, Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles participated as observers.

• The meeting was chaired by Sri Lanka under the Chairmanship of General LHSC Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of Army of Sri Lanka.
• From the Indian side, Pankaj Saran – Deputy NSA participated in the meeting.
• The participants identified 4 pillars of cooperation – Marine Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalization, Trafficking and Organised Crime and Cyber security to stop the spread of Terrorism through sea.

Colombo Security Conclave
The Trilateral Cooperation Framework between India, Sri Lanka & Maldives was initially established in 2011.

• It will act as a maritime security mechanism for Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including the Bay of Bengal.
• The Conclave Secretariat is set to be based out of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

About Sri Lanka
President – Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Capital – Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee

BANKING & FINANCE

SEBI Board Approved List of Key Amendments, InitiativesThe board of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) undertook different key decisions at the board meeting on August 06, 2021, regarding the amendments and frameworks related to Accredited Investors, mutual fund (MF) regulations, Alternate Investment Fund (AIF) and others.
Key Points:
i.SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) board has introduced the concept of ‘Accredited investors’ (AI) in the Indian securities market to open up a new channel for raising funds.
ii.The lock-in period for minimum promoters’ contribution (20 percent post-Initial Public Offer (IPO)) was reduced from 3 years to 18 months.
iii.SEBI board amended the SEBI (Mutual Funds (MF)) Regulations, 1996, and directed Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to invest 1 percent of the amount raised in the New Fund Offer (NFO) or Rs 50 lakh, whichever is less in the MF scheme.
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Establishment – On April 12, 1992, in accordance with the SEBI Act, 1992.
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
>>Read Full News

Indian Bank signs MoU with IIM Bangalore to fund StartupsIndian Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NSRCEL   (N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning), the entrepreneurship Centre of Excellence at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) to provide funding for identified startups under Indian Bank’s ‘Ind Spring Board’ Scheme.

• The MoU was signed between Padmaja Chunduru, MD & CEO, Indian Bank, Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director Of IIM Bangalore and K S Sudhakar Rao, General Manager (MSME), Indian Bank.
• The funding will help start-ups in meeting their working capital requirements for growth.

‘Ind Spring Board’ scheme
In October 2020,  Indian Bank launched ‘IND Spring Board’ in collaboration  with Indian Institute of Technology Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC) to provide a credit facility of INR 50 crore to Start-Ups for their working capital requirements.
About Indian Bank
Established in 1907
Headquarters – Chennai
MD & CEO – Padmaja Chumduru
Tagline – Your Own Bank
About N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL)
Chairperson – Venkatesh Panchapagesan
Headquarters – Bengaluru, Karnataka
>>Read Full News

SIDBI launches Swavalamban Challenge Fund to Promote Entrepreneurshipi.The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in collaboration with Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom (FCDO UK) has launched Swavalamban Challenge Fund (SCF) to promote entrepreneurship.
ii.The SCF along with its digital portal (https://scf.udyamimitra.in) was launched by Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (M/o MSME) Bidyut Bihari Swain in the presence of Devendra Kumar Singh, Development Commissioner of MSME, Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of SIDBI, along with senior official of FCDO UK.
About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):
It is the financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing and development of MSMEs.
Establishment– 1990
Headquarters– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)– Sivasubramanian Ramann
>>Read Full News

ADB approves USD300mn additional loan for Rural Roads in Maharashtrai.On August 6, 2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved an additional financing of a $300 million (~INR 2227 Crore) loan for the ongoing Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project that is upgrading rural roads to all-weather conditions and connecting rural areas with markets and services in Maharashtra.
ii.The project, approved in August 2019, is being executed by the Maharashtra Rural Road Development Association.
iii.This additional financing will improve an additional 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges for a total length of 2,900 km (from 2,100 km) in 34 districts.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Establishment– 1966
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Members– 68 Countries
Headquarters– Metro Manila, Philippines
>>Read Full News

NSE, IBBI ink pact for research collaboration in Insolvency and BankruptcyOn August 6, 2021, The National Stock Exchange (NSE) partnered with Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) to enhance research efforts in the area of insolvency and bankruptcy.

• This decision has been taken because the efficient insolvency and bankruptcy resolution system enables timely resolution of financial stress, balances interests of all stakeholders, promotes entrepreneurship and increases availability of credit at optimal costs.

Key Points:
i.Under this, both entities will promote studies that explore interlinkages between the development of the insolvency process, financial markets and economy.
ii.They will also analyse the effectiveness of global insolvency laws and practices and then make evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen the insolvency framework in India.
About National Stock Exchange (NSE):
Establishment– 1992 (commenced operations in 1994)
Managing Director & CEO– Vikram Limaye
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI):
Establishment– 2016
Chairperson– Dr. MS Sahoo
Headquarters– New Delhi

Karnataka Bank got Empanelled as Agency Bank to RBIThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has empanelled the Karnataka Bank as the ‘Agency Bank’ to facilitate transactions related to government (govt) businesses.

• RBI has allowed Karnataka Bank to handle transactions related to revenue receipts under the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on behalf of the state/central govt.
• The bank was also authorised to make transactions such as income tax, indirect taxes, pension payments, collection of stamp duty charges, and State taxes such as professional tax, value-added tax and State excise duties.
• Background: In February 2021, RBI has removed the ban imposed (in 2012) over ‘Appointing the Scheduled Private Sector Banks as Agency Banks of RBI’ and authorised the appointment of Scheduled Private Sector Banks as agency banks of RBI.

About Karnataka Bank:
Establishment – 1924
Headquarters – Mangalore, Karnataka
MD & CEO – Mahabaleshwara M.S
Tagline – Your family bank across India

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

MSH Tie up with India Accelerator to Support Deep-Tech StartupsMeitY Startup Hub (MSH), the nodal entity under the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), collaborated with India Accelerator, the start-up accelerator, to support deep-tech startups.

• Through the partnership, MSH will work with India Accelerator’s flagship program SOMA.
• MSH plans to build a start-up ecosystem to support deep-tech startups to transform their ideas into scalable solutions by providing best practices, fundraising, knowledge sharing, etc.

Note – Startup accelerators are the team that will support early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing programmes.
About MeitY Startup Hub (MSH):
MSH was acting as the national coordination, facilitation and monitoring centre to integrate all the incubation centres, start-ups, and innovation-related activities of MeitY.
Headquarters – New Delhi
CEO – Jitendra Vijay
About India Accelerator:
It is the only Global Accelerator Network (GAN) partnered, mentorship-driven, program in India.
Headquarters – Gurugram, Haryana
Founder & MD – ASHISH BHATIA

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Telangana Govt Won the NASSCOM’s AI Gamechanger Award 2021The Information Technology, Electronics and Communication(ITE&C) Department of the Government of Telangana has won the AI GameChanger Award 2021 for the implementation of the ‘Crowd Monitoring using AI’ scheme.
The winners of the awards were announced at the Xperience AI Summit 2021 organised by the National Association of Software and Services Companies(NASSCOM).

• The award is presented by the NASSCOM in collaboration with Microsoft (Innovation partner) and Deloitte (Knowledge partner).

Key Points:
i.The technology partner of the Crowd Monitoring using AI scheme was “Awiros”.

• It is a startup, selected by the government of Telangana for implementing AI applications across the State.

ii.The tool can be used to detect and track the variation in crowd density in a region over a period of time.
iii.This can also be used to estimate where the crowd may emerge by analysing the trend of the event.
iv.This is used while estimating and managing crowds during the India vs West Indies T20 match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in 2019 and during the Medaram Jathara festival in 2020.
About NASSCOM’s AI GameChanger Award: 
i.AI GameChanger Awards program was a part of the NASSCOM’s ‘AI for All’ mission
ii.The awards recognise the innovative and impactful use-cases that solve an important problem, in-house or otherwise.
iii.The winners of the awards will be featured in the annual AI Gamechanger compendium.
iv.The First NASSCOM’s AI GameChanger Awards were presented in 2018.
NASSCOM XperienceAI Summit:
i.The NASSCOM XperienceAI Summit is the annual flagship AI event of NASSCOM.
ii.The theme of the NASSCOM XperienceAI Summit 2021 is ‘AI as a Catalyst for a Better Normal’. 
About National Association of Software and Services Companies(NASSCOM):
President– Debjani Ghosh
Headquarters– Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Established in 1988

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Rekha Sharma gets 3-year extension as Chairperson of NCW The government of India has nominated Rekha Sharma as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women(NCW) for another term of 3 years with effect from 7th August 2021 or till the age of 65 or until further orders.
She has been serving as the chairperson of NCW since 7th August 2018.
About Rekha Sharma:
i.Rekha Sharma has been associated with the NCW since 2015 and she held the additional charges as the Chairperson from 29th September 2017 to 7th August 2018.
ii.She advocates gender sensitization of police personnel who are the first point of contact for the victims.
iii.She played a major role in establishing the special task force “Happy to help” during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist the elderly people who are struck alone during the lockdown.
About National Commission for Women(NCW):
Chairperson– Rekha Sharma
Headquarters– New Delhi
Established in January 1992

Anthony Heredia Appointed as CEO of BOI AXA Investment ManagersAnthony Heredia has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BOI AXA Investment Managers Private Limited (BAIM). He will succeed Sandeep Dasgupta.

• BOI AXA Investment Managers Private Ltd is a joint venture between Bank of India (52.93%) and AXA Investment Managers (47.07%), backed by AXA group, one of the World’s Leading asset managers having Asset Under Management (AUM) of EUR 896 billion.

i.He has previously  worked with Morgan Stanley Investment Management, HSBC Asset Management India and Birla Sun Life Asset Management.
ii.Heredia has more than 25 years of experience mostly in the investment management business within financial services.
About Bank of India (BOI)
Established in 1906
Headquarters – Mumbai
MD & CEO – Atanu Kumar Das
Tagline – Relationship beyond Banking
About BOI AXA Investment Managers Private Limited (BAIM)
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO – Anthony Herdia

Tunisian President Kais Saied Dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi

Kais Saied, President of Tunisia, has dismissed Prime Minister(PM) Hichem Mechichi and suspended the parliament, following the protest against the ruling party, the Ennahda Movement. He cited Article 80 of the constitution for his actions.
He also suspended the parliamentary immunity of the lawmakers.

• Under Tunisia’s 2014 constitution, the executive power is shared by the president, prime minister and the parliament.
• He has appointed acting ministers of Economy, Finance and Investment Support; and Communication Technologies and is yet to appoint the Prime Minister.

About Tunisia:
Capital– Tunis
Currency– Tunisian Dinar

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Navy Vice Admiral S N Ghormade laid keels of the 1st ASW Shallow Water CraftNavy Vice Chief Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade  virtually laid keels of the 1st Warship of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) and 3rd Warship of Survey Vessel Large (SVL) Project for Indian Navy.

• 8 ships are being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd at Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipyard in Kattupalli port, Tamil Nadu under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
• The vessels  will be deployed by the Navy for search and rescue missions in coastal areas.

Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC)
i.The vessels are to be delivered between 2022 and 2026. They will be replacing the Russian-built Abhay-class corvettes that were commissioned into the Navy between 1989 and 1991
ii.The ASW Shallow Water Craft will be equipped with modern underwater sensors and weapons. They are capable of full scale coastal survey, deep- water hydrographic survey and determination of Navigational routes.
About Indian Navy
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated headquarters of Ministry of Defence – New Delhi
About Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE)
Founded in 1884.
Chairman & MD – Vipin Kumar Saxena.
Headquarters – Kolkata, West Bengal.

ISRO-NASA Joint Satellite Project NISAR Proposed to be Launched Early 2023

Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh stated about the proposed launch of ‘NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar’ (NISAR) in early 2023.

• NISAR is a joint Earth-observation satellite mission between ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and US space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for global observations over all land masses including the Polar cryosphere and the Indian Ocean region.

IMPORTANT DAYS

7th National Handloom Day – 7th August 2021 The National Handloom Day(NHD) is annually observed across India on 7th August to create awareness about the handloom works in India and to recognise its contribution to the socio-economic development of India.
The annual celebration of the national Handloom day is organised by the Ministry of Textile. 
Background:
i.In 2015, the Government of India declared the 7th August of every year as National Handloom Day.
ii.The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi on 7th August 2015 at the Centenary Hall of Madras University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Why August 7?
August 7 was chosen to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which took place on 7th August 1905 in Calcutta Townhall.
About Ministry of Textiles: 
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal(Rajya Sabha – Maharashtra)
Minister of State– Darshana V Jardosh(Constituency- Surat, Gujarat)
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

HPSHHCL Signed MoU with Flipkart to Include Local Artisans & Weavers in E-commerceOn the occasion of the 7th National Handloom Day (7th August 2021), Himachal Pradesh State Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation Limited (HPSHHCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Flipkart, India’s leading E-commerce Market, to include the local artisans, weavers, handicraft, and handloom makers of Himachal Pradesh into the E-commerce.

• The MoU was signed in the presence of Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister of HP and Bikram Thakur, Minister of Industries, Transport, Labor and Employment, Himachal Pradesh

Features of the MoU:
i.Under this MoU, the Samarth Program of Flipkart will enable the master craftsmen, weavers, and artisans to showcase their hallmark products and provide them access to training and support.
ii.This will enable the artisans to market their products over the online platform and get a profitable price for their products
Flipkart Samarth Program:
The Samarth Program was launched in 2019 to build a sustainable and inclusive platform for the under-served, domestic communities and businesses and to empower them with opportunities.
Additional info:
In 2019, Flipkart has partnered with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India to establish the Samarth Program across 22 states of India.
Traditional craftworks of HP:
Some of the Traditional craftworks of Himachal Pradesh include Kullu Shall and Kinnauri shawl weaving; Carpet weaving; Chamba Rumal and suni embroidery; Thanka paintings; Wood carving; and Metal & Stone crafts.
About Himachal Pradesh:
Governor– Rajendra Vishwanath Arleka
National Park– Inderkilla National Park, Simbalbara National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary– Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary; Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary; Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary

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