NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. 75th Indian Independence Day
2021: India is celebrating the 75th
Independence Day on 15th August 2021 to mark the country’s freedom from nearly
two centuries of British colonial rule. India is marking its 75th Independence
Day as “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the
celebrations from Red Fort in New Delhi and is addressing the nation from Red
Fort in New Delhi. This is his eighth address as the prime minister. For the
first time, just as the flag is unfurled by the PM, flower petals showered at
the venue by two Mi-17 1V helicopters of the Indian Air Force in Amrut
formation. The Centre has invited 32 athletes — who have won medals at the
Olympics and two officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) at the Red
Fort.
History
of India’s Independence: The Indian
Independence movement began during World War I and was led by Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi. On August 15, 1947, India got its freedom, ending an almost
200-year British rule. India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru raised the
Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of Red Fort in Delhi on August 15,
1947. It is a tradition that has since been followed by the incumbent Prime
Minister, followed by an address to the country.
Some
rare facts about India’s Independence Day:
(1)
The song ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’ composed in 1911 by Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore was renamed as ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and adopted by the
Constituent Assembly of India as the national anthem on January 24, 1950.
(2)
The Indian national flag with three horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green
was hoisted on August 7, 1906, at Parsee Bagan Square in Kolkata. The first
variant of India’s current national flag was designed by freedom fighter
Pingali Venkayya in 1921. The current flag with saffron, white and green
colours and the Ashok Chakra in the middle was officially adopted on July 22,
1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.
(3)
Five other countries celebrate their independence on August 15 along with
India. They are Bahrain, North Korea, South Korea and Liechtenstein.
2.
Kerala govt launches ‘COVID-19 death information portal’: Kerala government
launched the ‘COVID-19 death information portal’ in the state to maintain a
proper record of the number of deaths due to the virus. This portal can be used
by both the public and government agencies. The public has the option, via this
portal, to search the details of the death of their relatives. All deaths that
the government has officially reported as COVID deaths can be found in this
portal. The information can be procured by entering the details such as name,
district and date of death in the portal.
3.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin launches ‘doorstep healthcare’ scheme: Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister MK Stalin launched the DMK government’s flagship scheme, ‘Makkalai
Thedi Maruthuvam’, which is aimed at taking healthcare to the doorsteps of the
people. The scheme will screen those above 45 years of age and others with infirmities
through door-to-door check-ups. ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ will also detect
non-communicable diseases that may lead to sudden mortalities and impact
people’s quality of life. Stalin said that women public health workers, women
health volunteers (WHV), physiotherapists and nurses will provide healthcare at
the doorstep of the people. The scheme is also part of the seven-point vision
of the state government which envisions enhanced quality of life for all.
4.
ISRO chief K Sivan inaugurates Health Quest study: ISRO chief, Dr K
Sivan has formally inaugurated the Health QUEST study (Health Quality
Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology of ISRO) which will be undertaken by 20
private hospitals across India. The event was co-organised by the Association
of Health Care Providers India (AHPI) and the Society for Emergency Medicine in
India (SEMI).
Objective: The objective of
the study is to strive towards reducing human errors and achieve zero defect
and quality service in the emergency and intensive care units of the hospital.
The study aims to upgrade healthcare standards in line with ISRO quality
standards and best practices. The quality assurance mechanism in vogue in ISRO
will be shared with the study team to establish the parameters for healthcare quality
standards.
Note: ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan; ISRO
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka; ISRO established: 15 August 1969.
5.
Kamlesh Kumar Pant appointed new NPPA chairman: Kamlesh Kumar Pant,
a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the
new chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the
Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet. The pharmaceutical pricing agency
was currently headed by IAS officer Shubhra Singh, who was appointed to the
post in 2018. Singh has been repatriated to her cadre state Rajasthan,
according to an order of the personnel ministry.
Pant, formerly the Principal Secretary
(Revenue) in the government of Himachal Pradesh and also the Financial
Commissioner (Appeals) at Himachal Pradesh and the head of the Himachal Pradesh
State Pollution Control Board, has taken charge of NPPA with immediate effect.
Note: National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority Founded: 29 August 1997; National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
Headquarters: New Delhi.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
28th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting: The Minister of
State for External Affairs, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India’s delegation to
the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting. The Meeting was
held under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam. The ARF member countries
exchanged views on international and regional issues, as well as the future
direction of the ARF. Dr Singh presented India’s perspectives on the
Indo-Pacific, the threat of terrorism, the importance of UNCLOS in the maritime
domain and cybersecurity. The ARF Ministers adopted a Joint Statement on
Promoting the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda. India engages actively in
ARF activities and initiatives on Maritime Security; Counter-Terrorism;
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); Disaster Relief etc.
Note:
HQ of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Jakarta, Indonesia
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. World Cup winning U19 India
captain Unmukt Chand announces retirement: World
Cup-winning U19 India captain, Unmukt Chand has announced his retirement from
cricket in India. He had made an unbeaten 111, leading a tense victory over
Australia in the 2012 U-19 World Cup final in Townsville, Australia. The
28-year-old, who also led India A as well as Delhi and Uttarakhand in domestic
cricket, had represented Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals in
the IPL. Since his debut in 2010, Chand played in 67 First-Class matches,
scoring 3379 runs with an average of 31.57. In 120 List A matches, Chand
amassed 4505 runs at an average of 41.33. In 77 T20s, he made 1565 runs at an
average of 22.35.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. IDFC FIRST Bank signs up with
Indian Navy to offer Honour first banking solutions: The Indian Navy has inked a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) FIRST Bank to
initiate ‘Honour FIRST’, a premium banking solution for serving personnel and
veterans of the Indian Navy. The Honour FIRST Defence Account is specially
designed keeping in mind the needs of the Armed Forces and its veterans.
Account holders of Honour FIRST are supported by a dedicated team of defence
veterans. The Honour FIRST Defence account comes with a range of privileges and
features such as a zero balance salary account that earns up to 5 per cent
interest per annum and a netbanking and mobile App that offers superior user
interface and experience.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1. Number Of Billionaires In India
Dropped From 141 to 136: In the
pandemic-hit financial year of 2020-21, the number of billionaires in India
dropped from 141 in FY20 to 136 in FY21, as per a statement issued by Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha. The count is based on the gross
total income declared in the income tax returns. In FY 2018-19, the number of
individuals with a gross total annual income of more than Rs 100 cr is 77. As
per the information available with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT),
there is no legislative or administrative definition of the term billionaire
under direct taxes. Wealth tax has been abolished with effect from 01.04.2016
and, therefore, CBDT does not any more capture information about the complete
wealth of an individual taxpayer.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. 4 Indian airports finds place in
Skytrax’s top 100 airport list: The
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi has found place among
world’s top 50 best airports in the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards. Delhi
airport has improved its overall ranking by five places. In 2020, it was placed
at 50th spot. With this, it has also become the first Indian airport to be
placed among top 50 list. The Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has
been named the “Best Airport in the World”.
Other
Indian Airports in the list are:
Hyderabad:
64 (placed at 71 in 2020)
Mumbai:
65 (placed 52 in 2020)
Bengaluru:
71 (placed 68 in 2020)
Top
Five Airports in the World:
1.
Hamad International Airport in Doha,
Qatar
2.
Haneda Airport in Tokyo
3.
Changi Airport in Singapore
4.
Incheon International Airport in
Incheon, South Korea
5.
Narita International Airport (NRT)
in Tokyo
2. Indian Team Wins US Innovation
Award: SoftWorthy has been conferred the
prestigious National Science Foundation Innovation-Corps (NSF I-Corps) Teams
Award in the United States. SoftWorthy’s award-winning project focuses on
developing state-of-the-art computational methods for ‘stochastic modelling,
design simulation and sensitivity analysis of electronic devices like
printed-circuit-boards (PCBs), which are critical for the growth of novel
technological applications like driverless vehicles and energy-efficient smart
buildings.
DEFENCE
1.
Quad Navies to undertake Ex-Malabar 2021: The Quad country navies including,
India, the US, Japan and Australia, will be conducting the annual Malabar naval
exercises, from August 21, off the coast of Guam, in the Indo-Pacific. The
harbour phase of the Malabar naval exercises will take place from August 21 to
24, 2021. The sea phase of the exercise will be held on August 25 to 29, 2021.
About the exercise: Indian Navy will
be represented by two surface combatants led by Guided Missile Destroyer INS
Ranvijay and Frigate INS Shivalik along with maritime reconnaissance aircraft
P-8I, ASW helicopters and Special Forces (Marine Commandos-MARCOS). The
objective of the Malabar series of Exercises is to increase the
interoperability of naval powers of the four QUAD countries.
2.
DRDO Successfully Test-Fires Nirbhay Missile: The Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test-fired
medium-range subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay from the Integrated Test Range
(ITR) at Chandipur, off Odisha coast. Nirbhay is India’s first Indigenous
Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM).
About the Missile:
(1) ITCM Nirbhay was successfully
test-launched with a Made-in-India Manik turbofan engine.
(2) This was the first successful
test-firing of the missile with the indigenous booster engine. It can use both
conventional and nuclear weapons of 200 to 300 kilograms.
(3) The missile can be launched from
multiple platforms. ITCM Nirbhay can travel at a speed of 0.7 to 0.9 Mach, or 4
to 7 times faster than the speed of sound.
Note: Chairman DRDO: Dr G Satheesh Reddy; DRDO Headquarters: New Delhi; DRDO Established: 1958.
No comments:
Post a Comment