NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Govt replaces Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rules 2021: Ministry of Civil
Aviation has repealed the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Rules, 2021 and
replace the same with the liberalized Drone Rules, 2021. The step has been
taken as the earlier UAS Rules 2021 was perceived by academia, Startups,
end-users and other stakeholders as being restrictive in nature as they
involved considerable paperwork, required permissions for every drone flight
and very few “free to fly” green zones were available.
Some important features of
liberalized Drone Rules 2021:
(1) Quantum of fee reduced to nominal
levels and delinked with the size of the drone.
For instance, the fee for a remote pilot license fee has been reduced
from INR 3000 (for large drones) to INR 100 for all categories of drones; and
is valid for 10 years.
(2) No permission is required for operating
drones in green zones. Green zone means
the airspace up to a vertical distance of 400 feet or 120 metres that has not
been designated as a red zone or yellow zone in the airspace map; and the
airspace up to a vertical distance of 200 feet or 60 metres above the area
located between a lateral distance of 8 and 12 kilometres from the perimeter of
an operational airport.
(3) Interactive airspace map with green,
yellow and red zones shall be displayed on the digital sky platform within 30
days of publication of these rules.
(4) The yellow zone was reduced from 45 km
to 12 km from the airport perimeter.
(5) The maximum penalty for violations is
reduced to INR 1 lakh.
(6) Drone promotion council to be set up by
Government with participation from academia, startups and other stakeholders to
facilitate a growth-oriented regulatory regime.
(7) Nano and model drones (made for
research or recreation purposes) are exempt from type certification.
No restriction on foreign ownership in
Indian drone companies.
Note: Union Minister of Civil Aviation:
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia.
2.
Ministry of Labour & Employment launches e-Shram Portal: Ministry of
Labour & Employment has launched e-Shram Portal to link Unorganised Workers
with social security schemes being implemented by the Central and State
Governments. Minister for Labour and Employment, Bhupender Yadav has launched
the portal where 38 crore Unorganised Workers can register themselves and in
turn benefit from various social security schemes.
About the eSHRAM Portal:
(1) Every unorganised worker who registers
on the eSHRAM Portal will get Rs 2.0 Lakh Accidental Insurance cover. (Rs 2.0
Lakh on death or permanent disability and Rs 1.0 lakh on partial disability).
(2) Upon registration on the eSHRAM Portal,
the worker will get an eSHRAM card with a unique 12 digit Universal Account
Number (UAN) and will be able to access the benefits of the various social
security schemes through this Card anywhere anytime.
(3) eSHRAM Portal will help in the creation
of a National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW).
3.
NITI Aayog and Cisco launches “WEP Nxt” Women Entrepreneurship Platform: NITI Aayog in
partnership with Cisco has launched the next phase of the Women
Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) titled “WEP Nxt” to foster women
entrepreneurship in India. WEP, which was launched by NITI Aayog in 2017, is a
first-of-its-kind, unified portal that brings together women from diverse
backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support, and
learning.
About the WEPNxt Platform: WEPNxt Platform is
the next phase of this WEP and will be driven by evidence-based decision-making
based on a focused study of Indian women entrepreneurs and their most urgent
needs across six key verticals – community and networking, skilling and
mentorship, incubation and acceleration programs, and financial, compliance,
and marketing assistance.
4.
Sonu Sood to be brand ambassador by Delhi govt for ‘Desh ke Mentors’ Programme:
Chief
Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has announced that Bollywood actor Sonu Sood
will be the brand ambassador of the Delhi government’s ‘Desh Ke Mentors’
programme. The programme will be soon launched by Delhi Government. The
programme entails “adopting” one to ten government school students who can be
mentored by citizens who are successful in their respective fields. Mentors
will take out 10 minutes every week to guide students over the phone.
Interested citizens can adopt between one to ten children studying in the
city’s government schools as part of the initiative.
5.
National Sports Day: 29th August: Every year, 29th August has been observed
as National Sports Day in India. The first National Sports Day was celebrated
on 29th August 2012, on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand who was the
star of hockey team of India. The day is used as a platform to launch various
sports schemes as well as organise various sporting events and seminars to
spread awareness about the importance of physical activities and sports in
life.
History of National Sports Day: National Sports
Day is also called with the name Rashtriya Khel Divas in some parts of India.
In 1979, the Indian Postal Department paid tribute to Major Dhyan Chand after
his death and renamed the National Stadium of Delhi as Major Dhyan Chand
Stadium, Delhi. In 2012, it was announced that a day must be celebrated as
National Sports Day with the motive of spreading awareness about the spirit of
sportsmanship and propagating the message of various sports. And for this again
a tribute was given to Major Dhayan Chand on his birth anniversary and
announced 29th August as National Sports Day in India.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
India & Maldives inks pact on mega Greater Male Connectivity Project: The Government of
India and Maldives inked the contract for the mega Greater Male Connectivity
project (GMCP). The Greater Male Connectivity project (GMCP) is the
largest-ever civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives. The Government of
India is funding the implementation of GMCP through a USD 400 million Line of
Credit (LoC) and USD 100 million grant. The USD 400 million LoC will be
provided by the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank).
About the project: The project will
be developed by Indian construction and engineering firm, AFCONS, based in
Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) comprise of
6.74 km long bridge and causeway link that will connect the national capital
Male with three neighbouring islands namely: Villingili, Gulhifahu and
Thilafushi.
Note: President of the Maldives: Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih; Capital of Maldives: Male; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian
Rufiyaa.
2.
International Day against Nuclear Tests: 29th August: The International
Day against Nuclear Tests is observed globally on 29th August. The day aims to
increase awareness about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any
other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means
of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
History of International Day against
Nuclear Tests:
On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly
declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests through the
unanimous adoption of its resolution 64/35. 2010 marked the inaugural
commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Indian Grandmaster GM Sethuraman wins Barcelona Open: Indian Grandmaster
SP Sethuraman won the Barcelona Open chess tournament title in Barcelona while
compatriot Karthikeyan Murali finished third in the tournament. Sethuraman (Elo
2644) collected 7.5 points from nine rounds to emerge the winner on the basis
of a better tie-break score after Daniil Yuffa of Russia also finished level
with the Indian player.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Nirmala Sitharaman unveils Public Sector Bank Reforms Agenda (EASE 4.0): Union Minister of
Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman has unveiled the fourth
edition of the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda ‘EASE 4.0’ for 2021-22.
The major theme for EASE 4.0 is “Technology-enabled, simplified, and
collaborative banking.” EASE stands for Enhanced Access & Service
Excellence (EASE).
What is the aim of EASE 4.0?
EASE 4.0 aims to further the agenda of
customer-centric digital transformation and deeply embed digital and data into
PSBs’ ways of working. EASE 4.0 sets the agenda and roadmap to transform all
PSBs into digital-attacker banks working hand-in-hand with key constituents of
the financial services ecosystem to offer industry-best customer experience.
Important Initiatives under EASE
4.0:
(1) Smart Lending for Aspiring India
(2) New Age 24×7 banking with resilient
technology
(3) Collaborative banking for synergistic
outcomes
(4) Tech-enabled Ease of Banking
(5) Institutionalizing Prudent Banking
(6) Governance and Outcome Centric HR
2.
RBI approves appointment of Hitendra Dave as CEO of HSBC India: The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Hitendra Dave as the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of HSBC Bank (India). RBI has accorded the approval for
a period of three years with effect from August 24, 2021. In June 2021, HSBC
had announced the appointment of Hitendra Dave as the Chief Executive Officer
of HSBC India. Dave succeeds Surendra Rosha who, after three years, is moving
to Hong Kong as the Co-Chief Executive of HSBC, Asia-Pacific. Hitendra Dave,
formerly Head of Global Banking & Markets of HSBC India.
Note: HSBC Bank India Headquarters: Mumbai;
HSBC Bank India Founded: 1853.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Microsoft teams up with Invest India to support 11 tech startups: US-based
multinational technology company Microsoft has teamed up with India’s national
investment promotion and facilitation agency Invest India to support tech
startups in the country. Under this
collaboration, Microsoft for Startups program will work with the Government’s
Accelerating Growth for New India’s Innovations (AGNIi Mission), a program of
the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India which
helps startups become enterprise ready.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
EASE Reforms Index Award 2021 announced: Union Minister of Finance and
Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the EASE 3.0 Awards. State
Bank of India is the Overall winner of the EASE Reforms Index Award 2021 (EASE
3.0 Awards). Bank of Baroda is second and Union Bank of India is third. Indian
Bank won the award for the best improvement from the baseline performance. SBI,
BoB, Union Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank won the top
awards in different themes of the PSB Reforms Agenda EASE 3.0.
There were awards for various themes and
the winners of these themes are given below:
|
S.No |
Theme |
Winner |
|
1 |
Smart Lending for
Aspiring India |
Bank of Baroda |
|
2 |
Tech-enabled ease of
Banking |
SBI |
|
3 |
Institutionalised
Prudent Banking |
Bank of Baroda |
|
4 |
Governance and Outcome
centric HR |
Union Bank of India |
|
5 |
Deepening FI and
Customer Protection |
Union Bank of India |
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