NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Jitendra Singh launches ‘Amrit Gyan Kosh’ and ‘Faculty Development’ Portals under Mission Karmayogi: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched the ‘Amrit Gyan Kosh’ Portal and ‘Faculty Development portal’ at the Civil Service Training Institutions Convention at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. It marks a paradigm shift in how we approach civil service training and it also envisions a future ready civil service rooted in Indian ethos, with a global perspective. Jitendra Singh also launched 13 Quality Improvement Plans (QIP), a roadmap for continuous enhancement of our training institutions. He also granted accreditation to 20 ministries. Singh highlighted that the core of the mission is continuous learning and competency-driven capacity building.
2. Assam launches ‘Nijut Moina Scheme’ to boost girls’ education and combat child marriage: Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched the ‘Nijut Moina Scheme’, an initiative aimed at eradicating child marriages by empowering female students and promoting education over early marriage. The scheme is designed to provide monthly financial assistance to female students from higher secondary to post-graduate levels. The initiative comes a year after Assam Police arrested over 4,000 people in crackdowns against child marriage. The ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme is universal, allowing students to voluntarily opt out if they do not want to avail of it. The Rs.1500 crore scheme will benefit 10 lakh girls in four years.
3. NIRF Ranking 2024: IIT Madras tops in overall category: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan has released the India Rankings 2024, which implements the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) drafted for this purpose by the Ministry of Education in 2015. This is the 9th consecutive edition of India Rankings of HEIs in India. Four distinct additions to 2024 edition of India Rankings are as follows: i) Introduction of three new categories namely State Public Universities, Open Universities, and Skill Universities; and ii) Integration of “Innovation” ranking into the India Rankings using NIRF framework. Indian Institute of Technology Madras retains its 1st position in Overall Category for the sixth consecutive year, i.e. 2019 to 2024 and in Engineering for 9th consecutive year, i.e. from 2016 to 2024. Top 100 in Overall category consists of 23 state public universities, 22 private deemed universities, 16 IITs, 9 NITs, 7 each central universities 7 private universities, 4 each AIIMS, IISERs and Govt. deemed universities, 3 Other CFTIs and 1 college.
4. Raj Kumar Chaudhary appointed as CMD of NHPC Ltd: Raj Kumar Chaudhary has been appointed as the new Chairman & Managing Director of NHPC Limited. Prior to his current appointment, Chaudhary held the critical position of Director (Technical) at NHPC. At 59 years old, Shri Chaudhary brings a wealth of expertise to the role, having joined NHPC in 1989 as a Probationary Executive (Civil) at the Koel Karo Hydro-Electric Project in Jharkhand.
5. Om Prakash Mathur Sworn in as 18th Governor of Sikkim: Om Prakash Mathur was sworn in as the 18th Governor of Sikkim at Raj Bhavan, Gangtok. Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court, Justice Biswanath Somadder, administered the oath of office and secrecy. The Governor and Chief Minister also participated in a plantation drive at the Raj Bhavan premises under the campaign “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.”
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India and Maldives renew MoU to enhance civil service training: India and Maldives have renewed their MoU to bolster the training of Maldivian civil servants. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer finalized the renewed agreement in Malé. The renewed MoU, spanning from 2024 to 2029, will facilitate the training of an additional 1,000 civil service officers from the Maldives. This initiative builds on a previous agreement established on June 8, 2019, under which the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) of India trained 1,000 Maldivian civil servants, including high-level officials, across 32 capacity-building programs. The NCGG, guided by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, has a track record of successful capacity-building initiatives in various countries, including Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka, as well as regional programs for Latin American and FIPIC/IOR countries.
2. Paul Kagame became Rwanda’s President consecutively for the fourth term: Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was sworn in for his fourth term after securing over 99 per cent of the vote. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, during which Kagame pledged to uphold peace, national sovereignty, and national unity. Only two out of eight candidates were allowed to run in the presidential race, and those who criticised Kagame were barred from participating.
3. 13 August – World Organ Donation Day: World Organ Donation Day is observed every year on August 13. Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourage people to register as organ donors. The history of organ transplantation dates back to the early 20th century, with significant milestones marking its evolution. The first successful kidney transplant occurred in 1954, when Ronald Lee Herrick donated a kidney to his identical twin brother, a groundbreaking procedure performed by Dr. Joseph Murray. This landmark event paved the way for advancements in organ transplantation, leading to the successful transplantation of hearts, livers, lungs, and other organs.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. SLRTC and Army Welfare Association sign MoU to Promote Indian Sign Language: The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) signed an MoU with the Army Welfare Association Society (AWES), in New Delhi. This collaboration is expected to bring benefits to the educational ecosystem, empowering educators and fostering an inclusive environment for students. By enhancing the capabilities of Army Public School faculty in Indian Sign Language, the partnership aims to create a more accessible and supportive learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. India and Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise MITRA SHAKTI Commences in Sri Lanka: The 10th edition of India- Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise MITRA SHAKTI commenced at Army Training School, Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka. The Exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 12th to 25th August 2024. Indian contingent comprising of 106 personnel is being represented by a Battalion of Rajputana Rifles along with personnel from other arms and services. The Sri Lankan contingent is being represented by personnel from the Gajaba Regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Joint Exercise MITRA SHAKTI is an annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Sri Lanka. The last edition was conducted in Pune in Nov 2023. The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-urban environment. It will facilitate development of inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies.
SPORTS
1. India wins CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League for the second time: Indians beat the host Nepal 23-25, 25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 15-5 in the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League final. Nepal lost to India 3-2 in the finals at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu. This was the second time Nepal was facing off India in the title match at home and first since the 13th South Asian Games. India clinched Gold, Nepal secured the silver medal and Iran settled with bronze in the tournament.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. SBI projects GDP growth of 7 pc in FY25: The State Bank of India in a report project that India’s real GDP will grow by 7.0 per cent year-on-year in FY25, which is slightly lower than the RBI’s forecast of 7.2 per cent. The report noted that the slight downgrade by 20 basis points is based on the global headwinds that are beginning to materialize. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India maintained its overall growth projection at 7.2 per cent for FY25. However, the MPC has revised its Q1FY25 growth estimate downward to 7.1 per cent, a 20-basis points reduction from its previous forecast.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Pakistan athlete Arshad Nadeem to be honoured with Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award: The Javelin Throw gold medallist in the Paris Olympics 2024, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem is set to be honoured with Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the country’s government. Hilal-e-Imtiaz is the second-highest civilian award given by the Government of Pakistan and Nadeem will get this award following his brilliant performance in the final of the competition. Pakistan’s athlete won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters. India’s Neeraj Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal, finishing with a best throw of 89.45 meters. Chopra became the second male athlete from post-independence India to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.
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