NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ministry of Social Justice launched the NAPDDR: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched
the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). Objective: To
reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with a focus
on higher educational Institutions, university campuses & schools. NMBA was
launched on 15th August 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment and is being implemented in 372 identified most vulnerable
districts.
2. Assam CM launches ‘Amrit Brikshya Andolan’ app: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa
Sarma has launched the Department of Forest & Environment’s Amrit
Brikshya Andolan web portal/mobile application and the Wood-based Industry
(WBI) registration web portal, along with the theme song for the Amrit Brikshya
Andolan. It is an initiative aimed at planting a total of 1 crore (10 million)
commercially-viable saplings across the State by individuals from various walks
of life on coming September 17. Individuals who register on the ‘Amrit Brikshya
Andolan’ app or portal and upload their geo-tagged photographs planting
saplings will receive a reward of Rs 100 in their bank account, with an aim to encourage
more people to participate in the tree plantation drive.
3. India’s First Beauty and Lifestyle Festival NYKAALAND
debuts In Mumbai: Omnichannel consumer tech
company Nykaa has collaborated with Book My Show to give
India its first beauty and lifestyle festival Nykaaland. The two-day event
will be held in Mumbai on November 5 and 6 at the Royal Western India Turf Club
in Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The inaugural beauty and lifestyle festival will see
the participation of leading makeup brands, makeup artists, entrepreneurs,
dermatologists, beauty experts, and content creators. Owen Roncon, Chief of
Business – Live Events, BookMyShow said, “Nykaaland will serve as a platform to
celebrate diversity, inspire creativity, and redefine the way India indulges in
the world of beauty. The debut edition of the festival will bring together a
highly desirable, curated ensemble of unique events and experiences.
4. Navi Mumbai to become country’s first septic tank-free
city: Navi Mumbai is set to
become the first city in the country to be septic tank-free and
have toilets in 100% of households soon. The NMMC has laid a network of sewage
drains all over the city with 7 state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants being
set up with the help of Central government funds. The treated water is being
used by industries and watering gardens. As per a survey done in 2015, as many
as 5,744 families in the city defecated in the open. The NMMC has constructed
406 public toilets to eradicate the practice. Toilets have provided 4,340 seats
for the residents. Toilets in the households in slums are also being
constructed.
5. Government launched the scheme – Vivad se Vishwas-II: The government has launched the Vivad se
Vishwas-2 scheme for settling contractual disputes involving the
government and government undertakings. The scheme was announced in the Union Budget
2023-24. The
scheme aims to resolve the government’s contractual disputes with private
parties, clear the backlog of litigation, and improve the ease of doing
business. The deadline
for submitting claims under the scheme is 31 October 2023. The
scheme will apply to all domestic contractual disputes where one of the parties
is either the Government of India or an organization operating under its
control. The
central government is aiming to resolve approximately 500 cases, involving an
estimated Rs 1 trillion, under this new voluntary settlement scheme. The
one-time settlement scheme will cover cases where the court order was passed by
30 April 2023, and the arbitral order was given by 30 January 2023.
6. Government launched piliot digital crop survey in 12
states: The Union
government has launched Digital Crop Survey (DCS) in 12
states on a pilot basis from Kharif 2023 (summer-sown) season of
this year for better sowing data collection. DCS reference application has been
developed as an open source, open standard, and interoperable public good. The
12 states selected for the pilot on DCS are Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,
Odisha, and Assam. The states have been selected based on the preparedness in
respect of pre-requisite criteria for DCS i.e. geo-referencing of village map
and digitized Record of Rights (RoR) with ownership extent. The project aims to
create a single and verified source of truth about the crop sown data which is
useful for accurate crop area estimation and the development of various
farmers-centric solutions.
7. Amita Rani appointed additional DG of Military Nurse
Service: Major General Amita
Rani has been appointed as the Additional Director General of the
Military Nursery Service (MNS). The General Officer is an alumnus of the
College of Nursing, Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi. Prior to assuming the
present appointment, she held the post of Brig MNS, HQ (NC) The General Officer
was commissioned into the Military Nursing Service in 1983. In the past, she
has held appointments such as DPM CH(EC) Kolkata, Principal Matron at 154 GH,
MH Jalandhar, MH Allahabad and Command Hospital Air Force, Bangalore. She has a
Six Sigma Green Belt in Health care, and Quality Management from the National
Health Care Academy, Singapore.
8. Alexander Zverev beats Laslo Djere in Hamburg European
Open: Alexander Zverev won
the Hamburg European Open for the first time by beating Laslo Djere
7-5, 6-3. It’s the 26-year-old Zverev’s first title since winning in Turin,
Italy, in November 2021 and he achieved it without dropping a set at his
hometown tournament. Dutch player Arantxa Rus won the women’s title. Dharmendra
Pradhan and S. Jaishankar launched Study in India Portal: Education Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar jointly
launched Study in India (SII) Portal in New Delhi to simplify
international students academic journey in India Aim: To provide
comprehensive information about Indian Higher Education Institutions and to
provide an integrated one-stop solution for the student registration and
visa application process. It will present information about the academic
facilities, research support
9. NHAI
Launched ‘Rajmargyatra’ Unified Mobile App for National Highway Users: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched
the 'Rajmargyatra,' a citizen-centric unified mobile application. Aim: To
create a seamless, user-friendly experience for highway users The user-centric
app marks a substantial advancement in providing travelers with comprehensive
information about Indian National Highways It provides real-time weather
updates, timely broadcast notifications and details about nearby toll plazas,
petrol stations and hospitals
10. Indian
Railways and IIT-Madras jointly signed MoU for 5G testbed: The Ministry of Railways and the Indian Institute of Technology
Madras (IIT Madras) signed a MoU in Secunderabad in Aug 2023 Objective: To
establish the India 5G testbed at the Indian Railway Institute of Signal
Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET) Aim: To enhance its operational
efficiency, passenger experience and overall safety It would serve as a
cutting-edge facility to conduct comprehensive trials of 5G-enabled
applications tailored for Railway operations.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. 4 August – Assistance Dog Day: Assistance Dog Day is celebrated every year on August 4. Dogs
are a man’s best friend because of their loyalty and dedication, but assistant
dogs take this to a whole new level. Assistance Dog Day is also done to raise
awareness and educate the public about how these specially trained dogs are
helping so many people in the community. The first guide dog team in the United
States arrived in New York in 1928, led by Buddy, the seeing-eye dog, and his
owner Morris Frank.
2. 4 August 2023 – International Beer Day: International Beer Day is celebrated on
the first Friday in August and this year, the occasion falls
on August 4. The day is celebrated to try, enjoy, and explore the
different types of beer available in the world. Celebrating International Beer
Day is an opportunity for beer lovers to gather and spend some quality time
with friends, family, and colleagues over a glass of beer. The history of
International Beer Day dates back to 2007, during which a group of friends held
a beer event in Santa Cruz and since then, the day is observed on global level.
3. Russia:
exercise Ocean Shield 2023 has started in the Baltic Sea: The Russian Defense Ministry announced the start of
the Ocean Shield 2023 naval exercises in the Baltic Sea. The exercises are
being conducted under the command of Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay
Evmenov Objective: To assess the Russian Navy's readiness to defend the
country's interests in a critical area, as well as the coordination of the
various military forces. The drills involve 30 combat ships 30 aircraft of
naval aviation and Russia’s Aerospace Forces
4. Microsoft
appoints Puneet Chandok to lead India operations:
Puneet Chandok was appointed as the Corporate Vice
President of Microsoft India and South Asia by the company in Aug 2023. He will
be responsible for the seamless integration of Microsoft's operations across South
Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri
Lanka. His focus will be on key industries, employing a customer-centric
approach empowered by generative AI technology. He was a Partner at
McKinsey in India and Asia.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Gukesh
D becomes India's number one chess player, overtakes Viswanathan: India's Grandmaster Gukesh D has become as the country's top chess
player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand in Aug 2023. He qualified for the
third round of FIDE World Cup 2023, secured victory against Azerbaijani
Misratdin Iskandarov. He holds a live rating of 2755.9 in Classic chess,
slightly edging out Anand, whose live rating stands at 2754.0. He now
holds the 9th position in the live rankings, while the five-time World
champion Anand has slipped to 10th place.
2. India
won gold in mixed team archery at World University Games 2023: At the World University Games 2023 in China, Indian archery
Aman Saini and Pragati, secured a gold medal in the mixed archery team They
defeat Korea's Sua Cho and Seunghyun Park to claim the top spot on
the podium. Presently, India holds the fourth position in the overall medal
standings. The bronze medal in the compound team event was
secured by Ming-ching Lin and Z-wei Wu from Chinese Taipei. Indians won
two more medals in archery in men’s and women’s team events
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. NABARD sanctions Rs 1974 crore to Rajasthan govt: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 1,974.07 crore to the Rajasthan
government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for
2023-24. Rs 930.44 crore has been sanctioned for three rural drinking water
supply projects in Ajmer, Jalore, and Kota districts. Further, Rs 926.48 crore
was sanctioned for the construction of 676 rural roads in the desert and tribal
areas of the state. Earlier, Rs 117.15 crore had been sanctioned for the
construction of 104 veterinary hospitals and 431 sub-centres in all districts
of the state. Drinking water supply projects are expected to provide clean and
potable water to 2.87 lakh households in 2,500 villages, whereas rural road
projects will improve connectivity in 1,229 villages across 12 districts. NABARD
is also supporting the state government in bringing 4.28 lakh hectares under
micro-irrigation with a support of Rs 740 crore from the Micro Irrigation Fund.
2. SIDBI collaborated with CIIE at IIM Ahmedabad: Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI), the principal financial institution for MSMEs in the country has
partnered with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A)’s
startup incubator CIIE. Through this tie-up, SIDBI will set up a SIDBI
Accelerator Fund at the incubator with an initial corpus of Rs 20 crore. Objective:
To support startups with meritorious ideas and technologies important for
India’s goals for 2047 to become self-reliant. The partnership is part of
SIDBI’s new initiative India of Tomorrow under which it collaborates with
different incubators in the country to promote deep technologies and
science-led innovation by enabling seed funding to startups in exchange for
equity. Startups in sectors such as deep tech, hardware/ product startups,
energy, clean tech, pharmaceuticals, biotech, defence innovations, rural,
social and industrial technologies, high-quality components, chips and others
are supported. Last month, SIDBI also launched the NBFC Growth Accelerator
Program in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship
(GAME), a mass entrepreneurship enablement platform to handhold smaller NBFCs
that have at least 60 percent of their exposure to MSMEs.
3. South Indian Bank launches SIB EXIM Current Account: South Indian Bank (SIB) has
launched SIB EXIM Current Account specially curated for customers involved
in the import and export business. The current account is available in two
variants SIB EXIM Silver and SIB EXIM Gold with the required Quarterly Forex
Throughput (QFT) of $15,000 and $50,000 respectively.
SIB
EXIM Current Account offers competitive rates in trade finance transactions,
free and unlimited NEFT/RTGS transactions through digital channels, unlimited
free cash withdrawals from any SIB branches, free cash deposit limit of up to
15 times of previous month AMB, free issuance of international debit card and a
lot more transactional benefits to cater the needs of this segment. Earlier,
the bank launched “SIB TF Online” a digital banking platform to facilitate
trade finance transactions through corporate internet banking 24X7, in a safe
and paperless manner. Moreover, South Indian Bank is also authorized by RBI as
an Agency Bank for collection of customs duty through the ICEGATE portal.
4. India
to grow at average 6.7% per year from FY24 to FY31:
India's gross domestic product is expected to grow at a rate of
6.7% per year from fiscal year 2024 to FY 2031in Aug 2023 Growth is
projected to elevate India's GDP from $3.4 trillion in fiscal year 2023 to
$6.7 trillion. As per S&P Global, the rating agency, the per capita
GDP is anticipated to increase to around $4,500.
The
main factor driving Indian growth isa capital accumulation. Investment as a
proportion of GDP reached a 10-year high of 34% in fiscal 2023.
OBITUARIES
1. Congress leader and former Speaker Vakkom
Purushothaman passes away: Veteran Congress leader and
former Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman passed away at the age
of 96. The veteran leader was elected to the Kerala Assembly five times from
Attingal assembly constituency and became a minister thrice, handling
portfolios like agriculture, health and tourism. He was the longest-served
Speaker of the Kerala assembly, from 1982 to 1984 and again from 2001 to 2004. He
was also elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Alappuzha constituency and served
from 1984 to 1991. Purushothaman served as the 6th Lieutenant Governor of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1993 to 1996, the Governor of Mizoram from
2011 to 2014 and Governor of Tripura for two months in 2014.
2. Marathi poet Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor passes away at 80: Marathi poet, lyricist Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor passed away in August 2023. He became a popular name in the field of poetry due to his poetry which had essence of nature. He also penned several songs for classic Marathi movies like Jait Re Jait, Ek Hota Vidushak and Sarja. In the field of literature, he was awarded with the fourth highest civilian award of the country ,Padm Shri. He had also been a member of the state legislative council.
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