Daily GK Updates - 4th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  National Nutrition Month is being celebrated across the country to mark the fight against malnutrition : The National Nutrition Month is being celebrated across the country to mark the fight against malnutrition.During this month, Various programmes have been organized by the Women and Child Development Ministry to spread broad awareness on the issues related to malnutrition like stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children.

2. Nagar Untari town renamed as Banshidhar Nagar : The Government of India has cleared Jharkhand government’s proposal to rename Nagar Untari Railway Station as Banshidhar Railway Station and Nagar Untari town as Banshidhar Nagar.Nagar Untari, which borders Uttar Pradesh, is famous for Lord Krishna temple, which has astadhatu idol.The proposal to rename the Railway Station and town was cleared by the Union Home Ministry.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  India participates in ocean-wide tsunami mock drill ‘IOWave18’ : India along with 23 other nations has participated in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock drill ‘IOWave18’ to enhance the tsunami preparedness at the community level.The mock drill ‘IOWave18’ is being organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, which coordinated the setting up of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in the aftermath of December 2004 tsunami.

2.  India Pavilion at Food and Drink Technology Africa Trade Show in South Africa : Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) has set up at India Pavilion at the Food and Drink Technology Africa 2018 (4-6 September 2018).Trade show being organized at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.The trade show covers the entire value chain related to food and beverages industry and offers solutions to the challenges and demands of the market in Southern Africa.The India Pavilion is part of TPCI’s efforts to promote India’s trade related to food and beverages industry globally and with a special focus on Africa.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.  R Madhavan assumes charge as HAL CMD : R Madhavan took over as Chairman and Managing Director of defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) from T Suvarna Raju.Earlier, he was heading the Accessories Division of HAL at Lucknow as an Executive Director.Madhavan has contributed to ‘Make in India’ drive by developing MSME vendors for aerospace manufacturing

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. National Housing Bank offers Rs 200 cr refinance facility to Kerala : The National Housing Bank (NHB) has announced a refinance assistance of Rs 200 crore to the flood-hit state of Kerala.It will provide relief to the households having annual income up to Rs 3 lakh (in rural areas) and up to Rs 6 lakh (in urban areas).Individual housing loans (between August 1, 2018, and till June 30, 2019) by primary lending institutions in rural and urban areas of Kerala, are covered under this assistance.

SPORTS:

1. Alastair Cook retires from International cricket : England's leading Test run-scorer ‘Alastair Cook’ (33-years) will retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the fifth Test against India at Kennington Oval, London (from 7^th Sep 2018).Cook is the sixth highest scorer in test cricket with 12,254 runs (32 centuries).He is the youngest player to complete 12,000 Test runs (the 6th overall and the only Englishman).

2. Anjum, Apurvi become first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for 2020 Olympics : Indian shooters Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela have become the first set to secure quota places for the 2020 Olympics.Moudgil (24-year) shot a total of 248.4 and won a silver in the women's 10m air rifle event of the International Shooting Sport Federation's (ISSF) World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.Chandela aggregated 207 to finished fourth in the same event.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Digital Village’ inaugurated in Amethi : Union textiles minister Smriti Irani on September 1, 2018 inaugurated a ‘digital village‘ in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.Under the digital village project, there would be 206 programmes available for the people.This includes a Wi-Fi Chaupal, LED bulb manufacturing, a unit to make sanitary pads and PM digital literacy initiative.

2. ISRO to make history by launching 19 missions : Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to carry out 19 missions in a span of just seven months.The 19 missions include 10 satellite and nine launch vehicles scheduled to take off between September 2018 and March 2019.ISRO will begin its series of launches from September 15 with the PSLV C42 mission which will have the Novasar and S1-4- UK satellites as the main payload.

3. ‘Delhi Movelo Cyclothon’ inaugurated : The ‘Delhi Movelo Cyclothon‘ organised by NITI Aayog was flagged off by Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on September 2, 2018.The nine-km Cyclothon aims to create awareness about future of transportation and evolving technologies in the sector.The initiative mainly focuses on urban areas to curb congestion and vehicular pollution.

4. Government drafts rules for e-pharmacies : The Union Health Ministry has released the draft rules on sale of drugs by e-pharmacies with an aim to regulate online sale of medicines across the country.It aims at providing patients access to genuine drugs from authentic online portals.The draft rules state that no person will distribute or sell, stock, exhibit or offer for sale of drugs through e-pharmacy portal unless registered.

                                             INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bi-Annual talks between Indian and Bangladeshi Border forces begin in New Delhi : The bi-annual talks between Indian and Bangladeshi border forces have begun in New Delhi.KK Sharma (Director General of BSF) represented the Indian side while Major General Md Shafeenul Islam (Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh) led the Bangladeshi side in the talks.The objective of the meeting, to increase bilateral cooperation in checking trans-border crimes such as smuggling of drugs and narcotics, cattle lifting and gun running across the international border between the two countries.

2.  International tourist arrivals hit a record high in 2017: UN Report : According to the UN's tourism organisation data, International tourist arrivals hit a record high in 2017 with India leading the growth in the South Asian region.Total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world.The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016.In India, International tourist arrivals grew from 14.57 million (in 2016) to 15.54 million (in 2017).

3. India & Nepal sign MoU on the preliminary survey of Railway line : India and Nepal have signed a MoU on Preliminary Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey on Broad Gauge Rail Line between Raxaul (Bihar) and Kathmandu (the capital of Nepal). Manjeev Singh Puri (Indian Ambassador to Nepal) and Nepal’s Secretary of Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Madhusudan Adhikari signed the MoU in Kathmandu. Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. has been entrusted to conduct a preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey of the new rail line in consultation with the Government of Nepal.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. HAL gets a new chairman : Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) appointed R Madhavan as its Chairman and Managing Director for five years.Madhavan was heading the Accessories Division of HAL at Lucknow as an Executive Director. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company headquartered in Bangalore, India.

2. USIBC to hold its first Summit in Mumbai : For the first time, US India Business Council (USIBC) is holding its annual general body meeting in India.The two-day conference will begin on September 5, 2018 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.The theme of the conference is ‘US and India connecting our future’.The summit is being held on the eve of the maiden 2+2 India-US dialogue in New Delhi on September 6, 2018.

SPORTS:

1. Anjum Moudgil won silver medal in shooting : India’s Anjum Moudgil won silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the ongoing ISSF Shooting World Championships in Changwon, South Korea on September 3, 2018.Apurvi Chandela finished fourth in the women’s 10m Air Rifle event of the ISSF World Championship.Anjum and Apurvi became the first Indian shooters to win a quota for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

2. Indian men’s hockey team won bronze : The Indian men’s hockey team beat Pakistan by 2-1 to clinch a bronze medal on the 14^th day of Asian Games 2018.Akashdeep Singh (3^rd minute) and Harmanpreet Singh (50^th minute) scored two goals for India in the match.It was India’s 69^th medal at the Asian Games 2018.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Justice Ranjan Gogoi to be next Chief Justice of India : Justice Ranjan Gogoi is set to take over as the new Chief Justice of India (CJI).He will replace incumbent CJI Justice Dipak Misra (will retire on 1^stOctober 2018).Justice Gogoi will be sworn in as CJI (46th) on 3rd October 2018 and held the post till 17^th November 2019.Justice Gogoi was appointed as the permanent judge on February 28, 2001, of the Guwahati high court.

2.  Kiren Rijiju flags off Delhi Movelo Cyclothon organised by NITI Aayog

The Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju flagged off the Delhi Movelo Cyclothon (organised by NITI Aayog) at India gate New Delhi.The nine-km Cyclothon aims to create awareness about the future of transportation and evolving technologies in the sector.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Tahira Safdar becomes the first woman to head a Pakistan high court : Justice Tahira Safdar has sworn in on as the first woman chief justice of a Pakistani high court.Justice Safdar was sworn in as the chief justice of Balochistan High Court at a ceremony held at the Governor House in Balochistan.She made history in 1982 when she became the first woman civil judge in Balochistan.

2. President Ram Nath Kovind embarks on 3-nation tour to Europe : President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on a three-nation tour to Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic to further strengthen trade and business relations.Mr Kovind reached Cyprus on 2nd September and deliver a lecture in Cyprus University.In the second leg of his tour, Mr Kovind will visit Bulgaria (4^thSeptember), address a business forum as well as the Indian diaspora.President Kovind will also address students at the Sofia University on the 5th on Teachers' Day.

3.  India, Singapore launch next round of free trade agreement review : India and Singapore launched the next round of review for their existing free trade agreement (officially known comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement) with a view to further boost bilateral trade and investments between the countries.The review round of the free trade agreement was launched by Suresh Prabhu (Union Commerce and Industry Minister) and S Iswaran (Singapore Minister of Trade Relations) in Singapore.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE :

1. RBI cancels the licence of Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Rajasthan-based Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.Consequent to the cancellation of its licence, Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd is prohibited from conducting the business of banking.The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.

SPORTS:

1. Japan's swimmer Ikee named Asian Games' MVP : Japan's young swimmer Rikako Ikee (18-years) has been named the 2018 Indonesia Asian Games' Most Valuable Player (MVP) after winning 6 gold and 2 silver medals.She won the 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly as well as the 4x100m freestyle and medley relays.

2.  India finishes with biggest ever medal tally in 18th Asian Games : India ended their Asian Games 2018 campaign with the highest medal tally (69 medals -gold (15), silver (24) and bronze (30) medals) at the tournament ever.India has surpassed their previous highest tally of 65 medals which they registered at the 2010 edition of Asiad in Guangzhou.Rani Rampal (Indian women hockey captain) was the country’s flag-bearer.More than 10,000 athletes gave their best at the Asian Games 2018, winning medals for their respective countries. 465 gold medals were won by the athletes of 28 countries.

Daily GK Updates - 1st September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Basant Mishra to get prestigious Dr BC Roy Award : Dr B.K. Misra has been named for this year's prestigious Dr B.C. Roy National Award as an Eminent Medical Person of the Year.Currently, Odisha’s Dr Mishra is leading the Department of Neurosurgery & Gamma Knife Radiosurgery at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.The award will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind on 1^st July 2019 (National Doctors Day).The highest medical honour of India, instituted by the Medical Council of India in 1962.

2. 7th Meeting of National Medicinal Plants Board held at New Delhi : The Seventh meeting of National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) of Ministry of AYUSH was held under the chairpersonship of Minister of State for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik at New Delhi.The Union Government will support as far as possible for the development of medicinal plants sector.The Board meeting considered various Agenda Items placed before it for consideration.

3. AYUSH Minister inaugurates the Fourth International Ayurveda Congress :AYUSH Minister of State (IC) Shri Shripad Yesso Naik has inaugurated the 4^th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) at the Netherlands.The congress would focus on promotion and propagation of Ayurveda in the Netherlands and its neighbouring countries of Europe.The Congress jointly organized by International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation, Netherlands; All India Ayurvedic Congress, New Delhi and the International Academy of Ayurveda, Pune in association with the Indian Embassy in the Netherland

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. GDP growth soars to 8.2% in the first quarter of current fiscal : According to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Indian economy grew by 8.2% in the first quarter of the current fiscal.The manufacturing sector grew by 13.5% which signals a very good turnaround in the sector.The construction sector also grew robustly at about 8.99 per cent.The GDP growth rate of 8.2 per cent for the April-June quarter of the fiscal year 2018-19 indicates clearly that several structural reforms introduced such as Goods and Services Tax have started giving rich dividends.

2.Balesh Sharma appointed Vodafone Idea's first CEO : Balesh Sharma takes over as Vodafone Idea's first CEO.Earlier, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Vodafone India and a member of its executive committee.Sharma holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and MBA (Marketing and Finance) from the University of Rajasthan.

SPORTS:

1. Amit Panghal wins gold in Boxing at Asian Games 2018 : Indian boxer Amit Panghal (22-year) has won the gold medal in Men’s 49kg category at Asian Games 2018.He beats reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov (Uzbekistan).India's Pranab Bardhan (60-years) and Shibhnath Sarkar (56-years) win the gold medal in Bridge final event at Asian Games 2018

2. Sakshi Choudhary clinches the gold medal at World Youth Boxing in Budapest : Former junior world champion boxer ‘Sakshi Choudhary’ has won the gold at the World Youth Boxing in Budapest in the 57-kilogram category.She beat Nikolina Cacic (Croatia).Manisha and Anamika settled for silver medals in the 64 kg and 51 kg categories.

OBITUARIES:

1.Jain Muni Tarun Sagar passes away : Influential Jain Muni Tarun Sagar (51-year) passed away after the prolonged illness in Delhi.Tarun Sagar had stopped taking his medication and opted for ‘Santhara’ - the Jain ritual of fasting to death.He was popularly known for his sermons titled 'Kadve Pravachan'.He enjoyed a massive fan following even outside the Jain community and was known for his nationalist views.

Daily GK Updates - 31st August, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launches Innovation Cell & ARIIA : Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched the Innovation Cell and Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements, ARIIA in New Delhi.The Innovation cell, an initiative of the Ministry, has been established at the premises of All India Council for Technical Education with a view to foster the culture of innovation in all Higher Education Institutions across the country.

2.“Mil -Banche” programme organized in govt schools of MP state : In Madhya Pradesh, in a first of its kind initiative, “Mil -Banche”, an interactive programme between schools and society was organized in all government schools of the state today.More than 80 thousand volunteers have expressed their desire to give gifts to the schools like books or any other gifts which will useful for students.This programme is being organized in the state for multi-dimensional development of children through language skill up-gradation, reading other books in addition to textbooks.

3. 'Krishna Kutir' largest home for widows inaugurated in UP' : A special home to the house around 1,000 widows was inaugurated at Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.'Krishna Kutir' -- said to be largest such facility constructed by a government -- was constructed on 1.4 hectares at a cost of 57.48 crores,".It was constructed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under its "Swadhar Greh scheme" through National Building Construction Corporation.

4. Kashmir gets its first Muslim woman pilot : Thirty-year-old Iram Habib has become the first Kashmiri Muslim woman to become a pilot.Habib will join a private airline next month.Iram succeeds Tanvi Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit, who joined Air India as the Valley’s first woman pilot in 2016.In April last year, 21-year-old Ayesha Aziz, also from Kashmir, became India’s youngest student pilot.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Germany to provide euro 120 mn soft loan for Clean Ganga Mission: Envoy : Germany will provide a soft loan of 120 million euros (approx. Rs 990 crore) to India as part of its contribution to the ongoing river Ganga cleaning programme.“The purpose of the project is to reduce the inflow of untreated wastewater in River Ganga and, thus, to improve the water quality of the river,”.This project also includes construction of 13 sewage pumping stations

2. Vostok-2018: Russia to hold the largest military exercise in September :

 Russia will conduct its biggest war games since at least the 1980s, with around 300,000 troops and 1,000 aircraft.The Vostok-2018 exercises will be carried out from September 11 to 15 in the country's east with the participation of China and Mongolia.Vostok-2018 will involve the participation of units from the Russian Army, Air Force, and Navy.China and Mongolia will also participate in Vostok 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. PM to launch India Post Payments Bank tomorrow : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the India Post Payments Bank(IPPB) at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi tomorrow.India Post Payments Bank has been envisioned as an accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man to help speedily achieve the financial inclusion.The payments bank, where the Indian government holds 100 percent equity, will leverage the vast network of the Department of Posts (DoP) that has more than three lakh postmen and Grameen Dak Sewaks

2.  ADB, India Sign $346 Million Loan to Improve State Highways in Karnataka : Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 346 million loans to finance road improvement across a dozen districts in Karnataka.ADB and the Government of India signed a USD 346 million loan agreement to finance improvement of over 400 kilometers of state highways that will enhance connectivity and access to economic centers across 12 districts in Karnataka.

SPORTS:

1. Swapna Barman becomes first Indian heptathlete to win Asian Games gold : Swapna Barman daughter of a rickshaw puller became the first Indian woman to achieve a top podium finish in the grueling heptathlon event at the Asian Games.She has six toes in both her feet and produced her career-best performance by logging 6026 aggregate points from the seven events.

2. Jinson Johnson won gold in men's 1500 m at the 2018 Asian Games : Jinson Johnson won gold in the men's 1500 metres at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.Earlier, Johnson had won silver in the 800m final.Johnson was pipped for gold by compatriot Manjit Singh in the 800m race but he did not give any chance to his rivals to win the race in 3 minutes 44.72 seconds.

Daily GK Updates - 30th August, 2018

                                         NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Assam govt extends AFSPA : Assam government has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA for another six months in the entire state.The official notification said that the state governor has declared the entire State of Assam as the ‘disturbed area’ up to six months.The Act gives special rights and immunity to security forces in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas.

2. Cabinet approves O-SMART scheme : Cabinet approved implementation of an umbrella scheme-Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART).The scheme covers a total of 16 sub-projects, which address ocean development activities such as services, technology, resources, and science.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the schemeimplementation at an overall cost of Rs 1623 Cr.

3. ADB sign $375mn loan for Irrigation : The government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $375 million loan agreement to expand irrigation networks and system efficiency of Madhya Pradesh.The project will develop 125,000 hectares of new, highly efficient and climate resilient irrigation networks.The project aims to double farming incomes by benefiting over 800,000 people in Madhya Pradesh.

4. Book on Weather Information Portal released : Shri R K Singh​ released a book on “Weather Information Portal for Indian Power System”.This reference document has been developed by Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) in collaboration with IMD to facilitate enhanced utilization of Weather Portal in all spheres of Power Sector.Shri R K Singh is the Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy.

4. Book on Weather Information Portal released : Shri R K Singh​ released a book on “Weather Information Portal for Indian Power System”.This reference document has been developed by Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO) in collaboration with IMD to facilitate enhanced utilization of Weather Portal in all spheres of Power Sector.Shri R K Singh is the Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. MoU between India and Bulgaria : The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bulgaria for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.The main objectives of the MoU are to expand cooperation in the tourism, exchange information and data related to tourism etc.Bulgaria is a potential tourism market for India that received approx 5288 tourists from Bulgaria in 2017.

2. PM’s visit to Nepal : PM Narender Modi is on a two-day visit to Nepal, to participate in the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit.During the visit, he will interact with all the leaders of BIMSTEC to enrich regional cooperation, enhance trade and enhance collective efforts to build a prosperous Bay of Bengal region.He will also review the progress that has been made in bilateral ties with Nepal since his last visit.

3. RCEP meeting in Singapore : Trade ministers of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) bloc, including India and China, met in Singapore.RCEP is a mega trade pact that aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic cooperation and intellectual property rights.The bloc comprises 10 ASEAN members and their 6 FTA partners- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

4. Joint military exercise ends in Russia : The fifth edition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Peace Mission Exercise 2018, ended in Chebarkul, Russia.The Indian delegation led by Lt. Gen Satish Dua, participated for the first time in the exercise.In this exercise, Pakistan and Indian participated for the first time.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. RBI expects economic growth rate at 7.4% : RBI on the release of its annual report said that real GDP growth for 2018-19 is expected to increase at 7.4% against 6.7% in the previous year.RBI also said that its monetary policy will work to achieve the medium-term target for retail inflation of 4 %.According to RBI the rise in growth rate is due to pick up in industrial activity and the good monsoon.

DEFENCE:

1. INS Teg lends assistance to MV Vela : INS Teg, a warship of the Western Naval Command, provided assistance to MV Vela, a Norwegian owned ship in Gulf of Aden.

INS Teg dispatched a specialist team for recovery damaged anchor and cable and assisted the crew of MV Vela.MV Vela and the Combined Task Force expressed their gratitude to the ship and the Indian Navy.

SPORTS: 

1. Dutee Chand won silver in women’s 200m : India’s Dutee Chand won the Silver medal in the women’s 200m event at the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta.She crossed the finishing line in 23.20s behind Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong who clinched the gold in 22.96s and the bronze went to China’s Wei Yongli (23.27s).She won two medals at the Asian Games as she won silver earlier in the women’s 100m.

2. Arpinder Singh clinches gold : Arpinder Singh clinched India’s first men’s triple jump gold in 48 years, with a jump of 16.77m in the Asian Games.India’s last Asian Games gold medal in men’s triple jump had come in 1970 from Mohinder Singh Gill.Ruslan Kurbanov of Uzbekistan took the silver with a best jump of 16.62m, while Shuo Cao of China was third with an effort of 16.56m.

Daily GK Updates - 29th August, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Odisha inks MoU for malaria-free state : Odisha government signed a MoU with an America-based agency ‘Malaria No More’ and Indian agency ‘Malaria Elimination Trust’ to make the state malaria-free.The two agencies will prepare the roadmap for public awareness and will work with the various organization in the state.Earlier this year 1.13 crore mosquito nets medicated with larvicides were distributed in the state.

2. New science & tech council to advise PM : A 21-member committee has been set up to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on science, technology, and innovations. Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific adviser to the Government of India will head the committee.Secretaries of at least 10 central ministries, related to science, technology, energy, and education, are special invitees to the panel.

3. $250 mn to support electricity distribution : The Government of India, Government of Rajasthan and World Bank signed a $250 Million agreement to support electricity distribution sector reforms in Rajasthan.It is the second electricity distribution reform policy for Rajasthan. The first closed in March 2017.The program will support the distribution sector, provide incentives to employees, reducing the costs of energy procurement etc.

4. India celebrates its National Sports Day : The National Sports Day is celebrated every year on August 29 on the birth anniversary of Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.This year, though, the date has been postponed to September 25 so the Indian athletes could return from Asian Games 2018.On this day, Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards are conferred by the President of India to celebrate the achievements of athletes in the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. N Korea to host Asian Youth Championships : The 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will be held in the North Korean capital Pyongyang.At the Asian Games weightlifting in Jakarta, which North Korea has dominated winning seven golds.The Asian Weightlifting Federation and North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk signed an agreement for North Korea to hold the championships from October 27, 2019.

2. First SAARC ACB Forum in Kathmandu : The First SAARC Agri Cooperative Business Forum began in Kathmandu.The theme of three-day Forum is the ‘Organizing and Strengthening Family Farmers’It is being co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Asian Farmers’ Association with the support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development

3. 1. G20 Digital Economy meeting in Argentina : The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Salta, Argentina.The theme of the meeting was ‘Building consensus for fair and sustainable development’.The meeting took place as part of Sherpa Track for 2018 G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is to be hosted by Argentina by end of 2018.

4. India’s next High Commissioner to UK : Senior diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.Ghanashyam is a 1982 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is currently Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.She succeeds Y K Sinha who had assumed the charge in December 2016.

5. Google launched Project Navlekha : Google has launched the Project Navlekha, which in Sanskrit means “a new way to write”.Project Navlekha will empower offline newspapers and magazines in India to bring their content online.Google is using its expertise in artificial intelligence for Project Navlekha, which will quickly render any PDF with Indian language content into editable text.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. DBS Named Best Bank for digital innovation : DBS Bank has been named the world’s best bank by Global Finance magazine.It shows a reflection of its ability to invest in digital innovation while still maintaining stable operations for its customers.DBS is the first Asian bank to receive the accolade from the New York-based publication, which last year gave the title to ING Bank.

2. PNB Gets Top Rank In Digital Transaction : Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced that the Department of Financial Services report has rated it as number one state-owned bank in terms of digital transactions.The bank is also rated as the sixth overall amongst all banks in India for digital performance.The bank is rated as ‘Good’ by the government with a score of 71 which is the highest category of performance.

3. World Bank signed $300mn agreement with India : The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $220 million Loan Agreement and $80 million Guarantee Agreement for the India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Program.The program will be implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).It will help to avoid lifetime emissions of 170 million tons of CO2 by replacing traditional machinery with energy efficient equipment.

SPORTS:

1. Historic bronze in men’s TT at Asiad : The Indian table tennis men’s team won a historic bronze medal after losing against South Korea in Asian Games 2018.This is the first first-ever bronze medal in Table Tennis at Asian Games.The team comprising G Sathiyan, Achanta Sharath Kamal and A Amalraj fight against the lopsided Koreans and lose the game by 0-3.

2. India won silver and bronze in Kurash : India bagged two medals at Asian games 2018 in Kurash, a form of wrestling indigenous to Central Asia.Pincky Balhara and Malaprabha Yallappa Jadhav won silver and gold respectively in debut of Kurash at Asian Games 2018.The 19 year old Pincky lost 0-10 to favourite Gulnor Sulaymova of Uzbekistan in the gold medal clash.

3. Manjit Singh won gold in men’s 800 m : Manjit Singh clinched gold in men’s 800 m track and field event at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta.This is Manjit’s first major international medal, he completed the 800 m race in 1 min and 46.15 seconds.In the event Jinson Johnson of India and Abubaker Abdalla of Qatar won Silver and Bronze respectively.