NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. FM
Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates ‘My Pad, My Right’ project in Tripura: In Tripura, Union
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has inaugurated a project called ‘My Pad,
My Right’ initiated by NABARD and NABFOUNDATION at Killa village in Gomati
district on the second and concluding day of her visit to the state. The
project aims to bring livelihood and menstrual hygiene closer to rural women by
way of grant, wage support and capital equipment. The Union Minister also
flagged off the mobile ATM van of Tripura State Co-Operative Bank Limited which
will cover all Gram Panchayats and Village Committees of South Tripura
District.
Note: Chief Minister of Tripura: Biplab
Kumar Deb; Governor: Satyadeo Narain Arya.
2.
Punjab to Launch ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ Scheme to Help Unemployed Youth: The Punjab Cabinet
gave a nod to a new scheme that will help the unemployed youth in the state to
hone their skills and increase their chances of getting a job. These youngsters
will be given short-term skill training free of cost under the ‘‘Mera Kaam Mera
Maan” scheme of the state government. A target of 30,000 beneficiaries has been
proposed, at a cost of ₹ 90 crores.
About the scheme: The scheme also
provides an employment assistance allowance of ₹ 2,500 per month for a period
of 12 months from the start of the training course, which will be conducted at
Punjab Skill Development Mission training centres. The allowance shall be given
during the training period, and after successfully completing the training,
during the pre-placement and post-placement period of 12 months from the date
of the start of the programme.
Note: Punjab CM: Captain Amarinder Singh;
Punjab Governor: Banwarilal Purohit.
3.
IIT Madras announces online platform ‘E-Source’: The Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is working on developing an innovative
digital model to address the problem of e-waste (electronic wastes). The digital
platform, named as ‘e-Source,’ will act as an exchange platform, to serve as an
online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
About the ‘e-Source’ platform: The platform will
link various stakeholders (buyers and sellers) of used and waste electronic
equipment and components, both in the formal and informal economy. The
initiative is being led by the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), a
centre set up at IIT Madras in 2010 at the initiative of the German and Indian governments.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
Sri Lanka declares food emergency as forex crisis: Sri Lanka has
declared a state of emergency as the food crisis worsened after private banks
ran out of foreign exchange to finance imports. With the country suffering a
hard-hitting economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he ordered
emergency regulations to counter the hoarding of sugar, rice and other
essential foods. The Sri Lankan rupee has fallen by 7.5% against the US dollar
this year.
Rajapaksa has named a top army officer as
“Commissioner General of Essential Services to coordinate the supply of paddy,
rice, sugar and other consumer goods”. The move followed sharp price rises for
sugar, rice, onions and potatoes, while long queues have formed outside stores
because of shortages of milk powder, kerosene oil and cooking gas.
The government has increased penalties for
food hoarding, but the shortages come as the country of 21 million battles a
fierce coronavirus wave that is claiming more than 200 lives a day. The economy
shrank by a record 3.6 per cent in 2020 because of the pandemic and in March
last year, the government banned imports of vehicles and other items, including
edible oils and turmeric, an essential spice in local cooking, in a bid to save
foreign exchange.
Note: Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri
Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan rupee; Sri Lanka Prime Minister:
Mahinda Rajapaksa; Sri Lanka President: Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
2.
Ladakh based Dorje Angchuk to be inducted as Honorary Member of the IAU: Dorje Angchuk, an
Engineer in charge at the Indian Astronomical Observatory of the Indian
Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) at Hanle in the Ladakh region, has been
admitted as an Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Angchuk is the first and only Indian to bag the position in the prestigious
body. Angchuk has been selected for ‘his passionate promotion of astronomy in
the Ladakh region, through his excellent astrophotography’. He will be joining
ten other Honorary Members from around the world, selected by IAU to join a
select list of 20 international experts.
About the honorary member of the
IAU:
The Honorary Members recognition by the IAU gives official recognition to
individuals who have significantly contributed to the progress of astronomical research
and culture in their country, but who do not qualify as Individual Members.
This membership category was introduced in August 2018 and already has 9
members.
Note: The International Astronomical Union
(IAU) headquarters: Paris, France.
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST),
Govt. of India, headquartered in Bengaluru.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Paralympics 2020: Mariyappan Thangavelu wins Silver in men’s high jump: India’s
Mariyappan Thangavelu has won the silver medal in the men’s high jump (T63) at
the Tokyo Paralympics. He cleared the 1.86m mark to take home silver. In the
same event, Sharad Kumar won the bronze medal, clearing 1.83m mark. Sam Grewe
of the United States won the gold medal after he cleared the 1.88m mark. With
the two new medals, India’s medal tally at the Tokyo Paralympics has now
reached to 10.
2.
Paralympics 2020: Singhraj Adhana wins bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol: At the ongoing
Tokyo Paralympics 2020, Indian shooter Singhraj Adana has won the bronze medal
in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 final on August 31, 2021. Adana shot a total
of 216.8 to finish at third place. China dominated the finals with defending
champion Chao Yang (237.9 — Paralympic record) and Huang Xing (237.5) winning
the gold and silver medals respectively.
3.
Dale Steyn announces retirement from all forms of cricket: South African
cricketer Dale Steyn has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket
with immediate effect on August 31, 2021, ending his 20 years long cricket
journey. The 38-year-old Proteas (South Africa national cricket team) pacer
last played for South Africa in T20 vs Australia in February 2020. He had also
played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League
(IPL). Since making his international debut in 2004, He played 93 Tests, 125
ODIs and 47 T20Is. The right-arm pacer, who holds the record for the fastest
bowler to 400 Test wickets (80 matches), bagged 439 wickets in the longest
format, 196 wickets in the ODIs and 64 wickets in T20 internationals.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
Axis Bank ties up with BharatPe for PoS business: Axis Bank has
partnered with BharatPe for the point of sale (PoS) business of BharatPe named
BharatSwipe. Under the partnership, Axis Bank will be the acquiring bank for
BharatSwipe and will provide acceptance of credit and debit cards for merchants
associated with BharatPe. The partnership will help BharatPe to expand its
merchant acquiring business in India. BharatPe’s PoS machine BharatSwipe has an
installed base of 100,000 across 16 cities, processing around Rs 1,400 crore
per month. BharatPe clocked an annualised transaction value of $2 billion on
PoS terminals at the end of FY21. The company has set a target of $6 billion in
transaction processed value (TPV) by FY22.
Note: Axis Bank CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry; Axis
Bank Headquarters: Mumbai; Axis Bank Founded: 3 December 1993, Ahmedabad.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
Moody’s Retains India’s GDP growth forecast to 9.6% for CY2021: Moody’s Investors
Service has retained India’s growth forecast for the calendar year (CY) 2021 at
9.6 per cent, in its August update to ‘Global Macro Outlook 2021-22’ report.
The GDP growth forecast for calendar year 2022 is retained at 7 percent. In
India, economic activity is picking up alongside a gradual easing of
restrictions that were implemented in response to the second wave. And there is
further upside to growth as economies around the world progressively reopen.
2.
PayU acquires BillDesk for $4.7 bn: Netherlands-based Prosus NV has announced
to acquire the Indian digital payments provider BillDesk and merge it with its
own fintech service business PayU. The size of the deal is $4.7 billion. This
acquisition will make the combined entity of PayU and BillDesk as the leading
online payment providers globally and in India by total payment volume (TPV).
About the deal: The transaction is
subject to approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI). This
acquisition will also raise Prosus’s investment into India to $10 billion,
which has so far invested $6 billion in the Indian tech ecosystem. Prosus NV is
the global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors
in the world.
Note: PayU CEO: Laurent le Moal; PayU
Founded: 2006;
BillDesk Founder(s): M.N. Srinivasu; Ajay
Kaushal; Karthik Ganapathy; BillDesk Headquarters: Mumbai; BillDesk Founded: 29
March 2000.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Neurosurgeon
Basant Misra receives prestigious AANS Award: Odisha-born neurosurgeon Dr Basant
Kumar Misra has been conferred the prestigious American Association of
Neurological Surgeons’ ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award in
Neurosurgery’. Misra is the first Indian physician to receive the AANS honor
which was conferred on him at a virtual ceremony during the AANS Annual
Scientific Meeting 2021 held in Orlando, Florida. He was the world’s first
surgeon to perform Computer-Guided Aneurysm surgery.
OBITUARIES
1. Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla passes away: Bigg Boss 13 winner actor Sidharth Shukla has passed away. He has been a part of films like Humpty Sharma Ke Dulhania. The actor’s last screen outing was Ekta Kapoor’s popular show ‘Broken But Beautiful 3’ in which he played the role of Agastya. He is known for his roles in daily soaps such as “Balika Vadhu” and “Dil Se Dil Tak”. He is also popular for his tints in reality shows such as “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6”, “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi” and “Bigg Boss 13”.
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