Daily Current Affairs 12th August, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 12 August 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

FM Sitharaman Launches Online Dashboard for National Infrastructure Pipeline

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) Online Dashboard, a one-stop solution for all stakeholders looking for information on infrastructure projects in the country.

• The online dashboard is being hosted on the India Investment Grid (IIG).
• A high-level task force submitted a final report on the National Infrastructure Pipeline with projected infrastructure investment of Rs 111 lakh crore during 2020-25.

Narendra Singh Tomar launches ICAR’s data recovery centre ‘Krishi Megh’

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched ICAR’s data recovery centre – Krishi Megh. The move is aimed at protecting the precious data of the government’s premier research body Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

• It has been set up at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad.
• Krishi Megh has been set up under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), funded by both the government and World Bank.

Tribal Affairs Ministry develops nine ‘Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums

Tribal Affairs Ministry is developing “Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums dedicated to the contributions of the tribal people in India to the freedom struggle.

• Out of nine sanctioned museums, two museums are near completion and remaining seven are at different stages of progress.
• The Ministry said that by the end of 2022 all the museums will come into existence.

Jal Shakti Minister launches Swachh Bharat Mission Academy as part of campaign Gandagi Mukt Bharat

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission Academy’, an IVR-based training course with modules on Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus programme in New Delhi, as part of the ongoing week-long behaviour change campaign Gandagi Mukt Bharat.

• ODF Plus is an extension of the ODF programme under the Swachch Bharat Mission. Its objective is to sustain the ODF programme and to take up Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).
• The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based training course contains a 60-minute module spanning various topics under ODF as well as SLWM.

About 10,500 health, wellness centers to be built in Madhya Pradesh: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that about 10,500 health and wellness centers are to be built in Madhya Pradesh, out of which 2986 centers have been constructed so far.

• The ‘Universal Health Coverage’ will provide good health facilities to every person and ‘universal immunization’ will soon meet the target of vaccination of every child in Madhya Pradesh.

Haryana to launch Sero Survey to determine Covid-19 exposure

Haryana’s Health Minister Anil Vij said the government will soon launch a sero survey in the state to gauge the penetration of COVID-19 in the population and monitor its transmission trend.

• In collaboration with PGIMER, Chandigarh, the survey will be conducted in all 22 districts till August 20.
• A serosurvey involves testing the blood serum of a group of individuals for the presence of antibodies against the infection to know who has been infected in the past and has now recovered.

IMPACT training programme commences in Srinagar under Samagra Shiksha

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a massive online Integrated Multidisciplinary Professional Advancement Course for Teachers (IMPACT) training programme commenced in Srinagar under Samagra Shiksha.

• Based on need assessment, the short course entitled-IMPACT has been designed with comprehensive features to be conducted in three phases like Face to Face mode for five days, Field Work for twenty one days and Reflection and Assessment for three days.
• The course module is developed by faculty members of NCERT, New Delhi and 16 experts from the Union Territory of J&K.

India, Maldives ink contract for development of five eco-tourism zones in Addu atoll of island nation

India and Maldives signed a contract for development of five eco-tourism zones in Addu atoll of the island nation. These eco tourism zones are part of grant projects being implemented under the High-Impact Community Development project (HICDP) scheme which involves a total grant assistance of 5.5 million US dollars to the Maldives.

• Currently, there are 9 such high-impact projects being implemented in the Maldives.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Russia becomes first country to register COVID-19 vaccine

Russia became the first country in the world to officially register a coronavirus vaccine and declare it ready for use, despite international scepticism.

• The vaccine still has to complete final trials, raising concerns among some experts at the speed of its approval, but the Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put it into mass production by the end of the year

SPORTS

Indian umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan included in ICC’s panel

India’s KN Ananthapadmanabhan has been included in ICC’s international panel of umpires following compatriot Nitin Menon’s promotion to the elite panel.

• The former Kerala spinner joins fellow Indians C Shamshuddin, Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma in the international panel and is now eligible to officiate in the ODI and T20 internationals apart from umpiring in the junior World Cup.
• Ananthapadmanabhan,50, has officiated in all major domestic events including the IPL. He also was the official in the Ranji Trophy final between Bengal.

APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNS

Belarusan President Alexander Lukashenko wins sixth term

Election officials in Belarus say the country’s longtime authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has won his sixth consecutive presidential term, taking over 80% of the votes

• Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who emerged as Lukashenko’s main rival at the elections won 9.9 percent of the vote.

Lebanon’s PM Hassan Diab resigns

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab has resigned from his post in the wake of major blast in Beirut that has triggered public outrage. The Prime Minister’s resignation follows a weekend of anti-government protests after the August 4 explosion in Beirut’s port that decimated the facility and caused widespread destruction, killing more than 160 people and injured about six thousands.

AWARDS

MS Swaminathan award for environment protection conferred upon RS Paroda

The Rotary Club of Madras East has conferred the MS Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection 2019 upon RS Paroda the Founder Chairman of the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), New Delhi

• The award was presented for his outstanding contribution in the area of agricultural research, education and extension, especially in the field of conservation and management of agrobiodiversity.
• A Padma Bhushan awardee, Paroda was a former Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Government of India.

OBITUARIES

Renowned lyricist & poet Rahat Indori passes away

Noted Urdu poet and lyricist Rahat Indori died of cardiac arrest in Indore He was also tested positive for COVID-19. He was 70. With a 50-year career in poetry, Indori was known for the lyrics of hit films like Munnabhai MBBS, Kareeb, Ghatak and Ishq.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Youth Day

International Youth Day is celebrated each year on 12th August. The day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.

• The theme of this year is ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’.

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