NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Fourth
G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting to begin in Varanasi: The 4th G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Meeting is held
in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to finalize the 2023 G20 Sustainable
Finance Report. Aim: To focus on finalizing the 2023 G20 Sustainable
Finance Report Objective: To discuss the progress made by jurisdictions,
International organizations and relevant stakeholders against the actions
listed out. Session Include: Experience sharing presentations on the theme
Scaling up Social Impact Investment in India
2. IIT-Delhi
Claim To Have Done India's First Soil Erodibility Mapping: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi conducted
the country's first national-scale mapping of soil erodibility. Before
this, soil erodibility assessments were conducted in specific regions or
catchments Aim: To highlight specific areas where the soil is most prone
to erosion. Soil erodibility is the susceptibility of soil particles from
becoming detached and reflects the combined effect of rainfall, infiltration,
and runoff.
3. Vijayawada
gets IGBC’s ‘Green Railway Station’ certification:
Vijayawada Railway Station was awarded the ‘Green Railway
Station’ certification with the highest rating of Platinum by
the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Award is given for its
efforts in improving environmental standards and providing eco-friendly
services to passengers. This is an upgrade of the station’s ratings, from gold
in 2019 to platinum in 2023. It bagged second in the South Central Railway zone
after Secunderabad to have bagged the platinum rating.
4. TN
govt to launch scheme granting monthly aid to over 1 crore women: The Tamil Nadu government is all set to launch the largest
social welfare initiative, the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai
Thittam, whereby monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 will
be provided to 1.06 crore eligible women families. The sum will be
directly transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries and they will be
given ATM cards to withdraw the amount. The government will start disbursing
the money under the scheme from September 15.
5. India
Air Force to receive first C-295 transport aircraft from Airbus: The Indian Air Force is all set to acquire its first
Airbus C-295 aircraft. India has formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus
C-295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force AVRO fleet. Among these, 16
units of the military aircraft will be manufactured in Spain while the rest
will be made in India from the manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. The
new aircraft will play a major role in the forces as a tactical military
transport aircraft.
6. MP
cabinet approves Mob Lynching Victim Compensation Scheme 2023: Madhya Pradesh government will provide Rs 10 lakh as
compensation to the kin of any person killed in a mob lynching
incident. There will be a provision of compensation of Rs 4 to Rs 6 lakh for
the injured.
This
will also include all those incidents of mob lynching that occur due to
religion, caste, language, or any other reason. Under the scheme, mob
lynching will be considered in which five or more accused are involved.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India,
Mongolia review bilateral ties: India and
Mongolia reviewed cooperation in the fields of education, information
technology, and skills during the visit of Secretary (East) in the Ministry of
External Affairs Saurabh Kumar to Ulaanbaatar. Aim: To discuss bilateral
projects and cooperation in areas of education, IT, skilling, and
capacity building. They also witnessed the signing of the contract for the
construction of the India-Mongolia Friendship Secondary School.
2. India
and UK Launch Infrastructure Financing Bridge:
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced India and the
UK have launched an infrastructure financing bridge to plan and
implement major infrastructure projects. The two countries have also
agreed to conduct investment negotiations in parallel with the goods negotiations
to conclude their free trade agreement (FTA) talks. The Indian government has
also confirmed with the UK government its plans to consider allowing Indian
companies to list on exchanges overseas.
3. ICG participates in 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard
Agencies Meeting: Indian Coast Guard participated in
the 19th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM)
in Istanbul, Türkiye. A four-member ICG delegation led by DG Rakesh Pal,
Director General of Indian Coast Guard took part in the annual event of the
independent forum with 23 members of Coast Guard Agencies and 02 associate
members in the form of ReCAAP and UNODC. During the three-day High-Level
Meeting, in which heads of Coast Guards of all member nations participated, a
series of vital issues including maritime law enforcement, safety and security
of life at sea, marine environment protection, illicit trafficking of drugs,
weapons, and humans at sea etc. were discussed, and avenues for further
cooperation were explored through the framing of agenda. The last edition of
the HACGAM was held in New Delhi in 2022.
4. G20 leaders endorse Goa Roadmap and ‘Travel for LIFE’
program: The G20 Leaders’ Summit
held in Delhi culminated in a resounding endorsement of the ‘Goa
Roadmap’ and the ‘Travel for LiFE’ program, propelling India to the
forefront of sustainable tourism initiatives. The ‘Goa Roadmap,’ a flagship
initiative of India’s G20 Tourism Track, serves as a groundbreaking blueprint
for global sustainable tourism. Aligned with the theme of India’s G20
Presidency, it underscores the role of tourism in society, the economy, and
environmental stewardship. The roadmap addresses five interconnected priorities
identified by the G20 Tourism Working Group: Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills,
Tourism MSMEs, and Destination Management. It offers a comprehensive strategy
for nations to align their tourism policies with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals 2030.
5. India and Saudi Arabia sign Agreement on Cooperation
in Energy Sector: India and Saudi
Arabia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation
in the field of energy. The MoU is expected to result in enhanced ties between
India and Saudi Arabia in renewable energy, energy efficiency, hydrogen,
electricity and grid interconnections, petroleum, natural gas, strategic
petroleum reserves, and energy security. It also seeks to encourage bilateral
investment in the fields of renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen and storage
and oil & gas, as well as create an enabling environment for circular
economy and technologies to reduce the effects of climate change through carbon
capture, utilization, and storage. India has targeted to achieve 5 million
tonnes (MT) of green hydrogen capacity annually, along with an additional 125
GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 under the National Green Hydrogen
Mission announced in August 2021 as part of the national effort to diversify
its energy basket.
US & Vietnam sign deal on semiconductor supply chains: The United States and Vietnam have
signed a deal on semiconductor supply chains to expand the capacity
of the semiconductor ecosystem in Hanoi, in support of the US industry. The
newly-signed Memorandum of Cooperation on Semiconductor Supply Chains,
Workforce and Ecosystem Development will formalize this bilateral partnership
to expand the capacity of the semiconductor ecosystem in Vietnam, in support of
US industry. The US and Vietnam also launched of comprehensive workforce
development initiatives in Vietnam that jointly develop hands-on teaching labs
and training courses for semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging. The US
government will provide initial seed funding of 2 million US Dollars to launch
the initiatives, in conjunction with future support from the Government of
Vietnam and the private sector.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Kiran
George clinches Indonesian Masters title 2023 in Badminton: Indian badminton player Kiran George clinched the men’s
singles title at the Indonesia Masters 2023 in Medan, North Sumatra. Kiran
George, 50th in the badminton rankings, beat world No. 82 Koo
Takahashi of Japan to claim his second BWF World Tour Super 100 badminton
title. He won the Odisha Open 2022, beating compatriot Priyanshu Rawat in the
final. He was the only Indian who reached the final at the Indonesia Masters
2023.
2. China's
Ruoning Yin, 20, grabs No. 1 Women's World Golf Rankings 2023: China's Ruoning Yin is the new No. 1 in the Rolex Women's
World Golf Rankings 2023 She is the second Chinese player to reach
No. 1 since the rankings began in 2006, joining Shanshan Feng (2017-18). Yin is
also the third player aged 20 or younger to hit No. 1, joining Atthaya Thitikul
(2022) and Lydia Ko (2015). The 20-year-old Yin is the 18th different player to
reach the top spot and the fifth this year, a record.
3. Prathamesh Jawkar wins silver in men’s Archery World
Cup: Indian archer Prathamesh Jawkar won silver in the Archery
World Cup Final 2023 in Hermosillo, Mexico. World No. 14 Jawkar was facing
a major challenge against the 10th-ranked Mathias Fullerton of Denmark in the
gold medal clash. Sara Lopez of Colombia won her eighth world title in the
women’s compound event. Dafne Quintero of the host nation clinched the bronze
medal by defeating Cho Su A of the Republic of Korea.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI
approves re-appointment of Sandeep Bakhshi as ICICI Bank MD & CEO: The Reserve Bank of India re-appointed Sandeep Bakhshi as
the managing director and chief executive officer (MD and CEO) of
the ICICI Bank. He has been with the ICICI Group for 36 years and has
handled various assignments across the group in ICICI Limited, ICICI Lombard
General Insurance, ICICI Bank and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. He has
served as Wholetime Director and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the bank,
prior to his appointment as MD and CEO
2. Bharti
AXA Life Insurance launches 'Income Laabh':
Bharti AXA Life Insurance announced a new product, Bharti AXA
Life Income Laabh with an aim to simplify insurance and
deliver maximum protection to its consumers. Objective: To provide
financial protection and a steady income stream to consumers. It starts
with an initial income pay-out equivalent to 100 percent of the
annual premium paid by the policyholder. After 5 years, for those opting
for a 10-year policy term, the income increases to 150 percent.
3. Cashfree
Payments Partners with NPCI for ‘AutoPay on QR’:
Cashfree Payments has announced the launch of ‘AutoPay on QR’ in
collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Aim: To
enable subscription-based businesses to enhance customer acquisition,
supporting retention, and facilitating rapid growth. Cashfree Payments'
‘AutoPay on QR’ will help subscription-based businesses to boost return on
investment (ROI) on ad spends by enabling mandate creation in two clicks.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Army doctor awarded Dr AM Gokhale award for
ophthalmology in Pune: Renowned ophthalmologist Brig Sanjay Kumar
Mishra of Indian Army’s Research and Referral Hospital was conferred with
the prestigious “Dr AM Gokhale Award” in Pune. Dr AM Gokhale was a
renowned teacher of Ophthalmology and his students progressed to become the
doyens of Ophthalmology in the country. Brig Mishra is one of the highest
decorated officers of Indian Armed Forces Medical Services. Sanjay Kumar Mishra
has performed surgeries on two serving Presidents of India.
2. Najma Akhtar honored with lifetime achievement award
in academia: Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI)
Vice Chancellor, Professor Najma Akhtar was presented
‘The Lifetime Achievement Award-Academia. The award was presented to her
by Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (Padma Vibhushan) at the Grand Conference and
award function titled “Making India Employable” was organized by TeamLease
EdTech. Akhtar was selected for the award by a jury panel comprising of
educationists and industry experts. She has been awarded for her “great efforts
to connect education to employment”.
OBITUARIES
1. Dennis Austin, co-creator of Microsoft PowerPoint,
dies at 76: One of the co-creators of Microsoft PowerPoint, Dennis Austin
died at the age of 76. Dennis Austin, along with Robert Gaskins, developed
PowerPoint and introduced it in 1987. Austin and Gaskins were both part of the
software company Forethought, which was later acquired by Microsoft for $14
million shortly after the launch of PowerPoint, which was originally named
Presenter. Initially, PowerPoint was available exclusively for the Macintosh
platform.
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