NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Government declares Adichunchanagiri in Karnataka and Choolannuar in Kerala as Peacock Sanctuary: Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Mr. Bhupender Yadav, announced the creation of two new Peacock Sanctuaries in India: Adichunchanagiri in Karnataka and Choolannuar in Kerala. This decision shows the government’s ongoing effort to protect wildlife and the national bird, the peacock. Peacock conservation involves protecting both the Indian blue peacock and the green peafowl. These birds face threats from habitat loss and hunting, so efforts include restoring their habitats and preventing poaching. Peafowl play key roles in ecosystems, such as spreading seeds. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the green peafowl as Near Threatened. Local communities are engaged in these conservation efforts, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness in protecting these birds, which symbolize beauty and grace across cultures.
2. National Commission for Women Inaugurates Digital Shakti Center in New Delhi: The National Commission for Women has inaugurated the Digital Shakti Center to combat cyber crimes against women in New Delhi. The centre is a dedicated facility that aims at raising awareness about cyber crimes. It will provide essential technical support for registering and addressing complaints. The commission emphasized that with the alarming rise in cyber crimes such as identity theft, cyberstalking, and sexual exploitation, this initiative is crucial in empowering women to navigate and protect themselves in the digital world. The Digital Shakti Center was inaugurated by the National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma in collaboration with the Cyber Peace Foundation. Addressing the gathering Ms Sharma noted that there has been a surge in cyber crime cases in India, rising from 52,974 in 2021 to 65,893 in 2022.
3. UNICEF, West Bengal govt join hands to promote fathers’ role in encouraging breastfeeding: The West Bengal government and UNICEF have joined hands for promoting the involvement of fathers in encouraging new mothers to breastfeed their babies till six months of age. As part of the initiative, workers at Anganwadis have begun to discuss the benefits of breastfeeding with fathers of the newborn and other family members. According to the state Women, Child Development and Social Welfare Department is actively promoting breastfeeding in the backdrop of the findings that 53 percent of mothers still need to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months.
4. 9 August – Quit India Movement Day: Every year, on August 9th, India commemorates the Quit India Movement, a pivotal moment in the country’s struggle for independence from the British rule. Launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942, the movement called for the British to leave India, marking the beginning of the final phase of the freedom struggle. The Quit India Movement, was marked by widespread non-violent protests advocating for an “orderly British withdrawal” from India. Gandhi’s speeches inspired the masses with his call for Indians to be their own guides in the struggle for freedom. On August 9, 1942, Gandhi issued the famous “Do or Die” exhortation, urging all Indians to expel the British. The movement originated from Gawalia Tank in Mumbai. This day is annually commemorated as August Kranti Day
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India and New Zealand sign customs co-operation arrangement to ease trade between the two countries: President Droupadi Murmu held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Vinston Peters at Government House in Wellington. Discussions were held on wide range issues including customs co-operation, traditional medicine and renewable energy. India and New Zealand inked the bilateral customs cooperation arrangement which is expected to ease trade between the two countries. New Zealand also ratified the International Solar Alliance paving way for enhanced opportunities for joint research and development in this field. Both the countries also agreed to exchange the best practices in the field of traditional medicine through the Global Centre for traditional medicine in Jamnagar. India and New Zealand acknowledged the progress in bilateral relations and deliberated upon ways of exchanging cooperation in several areas
2. Kamel Madouri appointed as the PM of Tunisia: Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked his Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani without explanation and replaced him with Social Affairs Minister Kamel Madouri. Hachani had taken office on August 1 last year, replacing Najla Bouden, who was also dismissed without an official reason by Mr. Saied. The President was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021 and is now seeking another term in office in elections on October 6.
3. 9 August – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed annually on August 9. The day is intended to raise awareness about the needs of indigenous peoples. The day also gives Indigenous peoples the opportunity to communicate their thoughts and issues on a worldwide scale. Theme 2024 – Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared this special day in 1994, with resolution 49/214. The UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations met for the first time on this date in 1982. The UNGA’s primary goal is to strengthen international cooperation so that Indigenous peoples’ problems can be solved.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Army conducts ‘Parvat Prahaar’ exercise in Ladakh: The Indian Army has conducted a strategic military exercise, ‘Parvat Prahaar’, in Ladakh, focusing on high-altitude warfare and operations.
The ‘Parvat Prahaar’ (Mountain Strike) exercise emphasises mountainous and rugged terrains, such as those found in regions like Eastern Ladakh. It is crucial for maintaining the readiness and effectiveness of the Army in the region, which is close to the India-China border. The exercise, which continues for over a fortnight, involves simulating real-world combat scenarios to train soldiers in the unique challenges posed by such terrains. Various arms of the Army, including infantry, armored, artillery, and support units, are participating in this drill. Different kinds of tanks, artillery guns including K-9 Vajra, air-defense systems, UAVs, and other aviation assets of the Army are showcasing their operability and war preparedness. The Mountain Strike Corps of the Northern Command, which is responsible for operations in this sensitive region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), is involved in the exercise.
SPORTS
1. Neeraj Chopra won Silver at Paris Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra has won the Silevr Medal in the men’s javelin throw event with a best throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics. Following his performance, Chopra became the second male athlete post-independence to win two Olympic medals in an individual event. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem 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.
2. India defeats Spain to clinch bronze medal at Paris Olympics: The Indian men’s hockey team led by Harmanpreet Singh won the bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, beating Spain 2-1. The match to decide the bronze medal was held at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris, France. Earlier in the semi-final, India lost to Germany 3-2. This is the second back-to-back bronze medal for the Indian men’s hockey team after their bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The match against Spain was also the last international match for the veteran Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who had an outstanding Olympics. Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh scored both goals in the match, and Miralles scored the only goal for Spain. The Indian captain finished the Paris Olympics as the highest goal scorer in the Paris 2024 men’s hockey tournament with ten goals. The bronze medal at the Paris Olympics was the 13th medal won by the Indian men’s hockey team in the Summer Olympics.
3. Vinesh Phogat announces retirement from wrestling: Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Haryana has announced her retirement from wrestling a day after she was disqualified from the 50kg category Paris Olympics finals. The seasoned wrestler was disqualified after weighing 100 grams more than the permissible limit in the morning weigh-in ahead of the final.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. ISRO to launch Remote Sensing EOS 8 Satellite on 55th Foundation Day: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its Earth Observation Satellite-08 (EOS-08) on 15 August 2024, its 55th foundation day. The EOS-08 satellite will be launched by ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3. Here, D stands for Developmental. The satellite will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5% for 9th time in a row: The Reserve Bank of India has decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent for the ninth time in a row. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate remains at 6.25 percent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75 per cent. The Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, also decided by a majority of 4 out of 6 members to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation progressively aligns with the target, while supporting growth. These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of plus or minus 2 percent, while supporting growth. The next meeting is scheduled for October 7 to 9, 2024. RBI has not changed its forecast for the Indian economic growth rate for the financial year 2024-25 and expects the Indian GDP to grow by 7.2%
2. Limit for tax payments via UPI to increase from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh: RBI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed raising the upper limit for tax payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per transaction. Currently, the transaction limit for UPI is Rs 1 lakh except for certain categories of payments which have higher transaction limits. It has now been decided to enhance the limit for tax payments through UPI from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per transaction. This will further ease tax payments by consumers through UPI. The decision was made during the 50th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held on 8 August. The increased limit is expected to offer greater convenience to taxpayers, particularly for high-value transactions, potentially encouraging more taxpayers to use UPI for their tax liabilities.
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