Daily Current Affairs 8 August 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
India to participate in Kavkaz 2020 exercise in Russia
In a resumption of bilateral and multilateral military exercises which were deferred due to coronavirus (COVID-19), India will take part in the Russian Kavkaz 2020 strategic command-post exercise next month. The invitees for the exercise also include China and Pakistan apart from other member-states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Centre Approves Construction of 10.28 Lakh Houses Under PMAY (Urban)
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry approved the construction of around 10.28 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), taking the total number of houses sanctioned so far under the scheme to 1.06 crore.
- HUA Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra told states that by the end of this year, they should work towards achieving the target of constructing 60 lakh houses while 80 lakh houses should be grounded for construction.
India’s first ‘Kisan Rail’ begins services
The railways began its Kisan Rail services to transport perishable goods from August 7, 2020. The train was flagged off via video conferencing by Union Minister of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. This is the first such train, carrying vegetables and fruits, that would run from Maharashtra’s Devlali to Bihar’s Danapur.
To prevent train delays, Indian Railways introduces OHE Inspection app for real-time monitoring
Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways has rolled out an application called “OHE Inspection”. With the help of this app, the national transporter will quickly find out the problem and it will get it fixed as soon as possible. According to the Railway Ministry, the OHE Inspection app will allow capturing real time OHE (Overhead Equipment) defects as well as send alerts. The app has been rolled out on a Pan India basis.
Haryana CM Khattar launches welfare schemes for women, kids
Reiterating that the state government is laying special emphasis on the overall development of women and children in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Mukhya Mantri Doodh Uphar Yojana’ and ‘Mahila Evam Kishori Samman Yojana’.
- Under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Doodh Uphar Yojana’, fortified flavoured skimmed milk powder will be provided to children between 1 and 6 years of age in anganwadi centres aong with pregnant and lactating mothers.
- Under the ‘Mahila Evam Kishori Samman Yojana’, adolescent girls and women between 10 to 45 years belonging to as many as 11,24,871 BPL families will be provided free sanitary napkins.
CM Amarinder Singh Launches ‘Pride Of Punjab’ Partnership Of State Govt, YuWaah For Youth Development
Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh launched a collaborative ‘Pride of Punjab’ programme as a partnership between the Department of Youth Services and Sports and YuWaah – a joint initiative of UNICEF, other UN agencies, civil society organisations and the private sector through video conference.
Aimed at enabling the best opportunities for Punjab’s young people, the project will work with the youth to help them realise their aspirations, become change leaders in their communities, and support other young people in their journeys.
Delhi Airport Launches ‘Air Suvidha’, an Online Portal For International Passengers
The Delhi international airport has developed an online portal ‘Air Suvidha’ that will allow international arriving passengers to fill a mandatory self-declaration form and eligible passengers to apply for exemption from compulsory institutional quarantine for coronavirus.
- Portal will make passengers’ journey contactless as they won’t have to fill physical copies of a self-declaration form and a quarantine exemption form at the time of arrival in India.
Google to deploy free learning tools for schools in Maharashtra
Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to collaborate with Google India in the state-wide deployment of its Google for Education technology.
- As part of the partnership Google will roll out G-Suite for Education and Google Classroom technology, free of cost, equipping over 2.3 crore teachers and students in the state.
In a First for Country, UNESCO Recognises Two Odisha Villages as ‘Tsunami Ready’
In a first, two coastal villages of Odisha have been recognised as being “Tsunami Ready” by UNESCO for their overall preparedness to face the calamity.
- With it Odisha became the first state in the country to have such villages and the country the first in the Indian Ocean region to achieve the honour from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
- The two coastal are Venkatraipur (Boxipalli) village of Rangeilunda block in Ganjam district and Noliasahi village of Ersama block in Jagatsinghpur district.
IIT Delhi, NHAI sign MoU to set up Centre of Excellence for Advance Data Management System for Highways
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Advance Data Management System for Highways in IIT Delhi.
- The collaboration will be undertaken on the identified thrust areas like Project Management and Data Management, Highway Network Traffic Demand and Incident Management, Highway safety, Highway Work-zone Management, Highway Pavement Management System.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Mahinda Rajapaksa elected as new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a political comeback as his party registered a landslide victory in the twice-postponed general elections, according to the final results released by the elections commission.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Exim Bank extends $250 million line of credit to Mozambique
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has extended a USD 250-million (about Rs 1,870 crore) line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique for improving power supply quality in the country.
- With the signing of this LOC agreement, Exim Bank till date has extended 14 LOCs to Mozambique, taking their total value to USD 772.44 million.
SPORTS
India to host T20 World Cup in 2021: ICC
The International Cricket Council confirmed that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 that was postponed due to Covid-19 will be held in Australia in 2022. India will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 as planned.
- Cricket’s governing body has also decided to postpone the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand till February – March 2022 because of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on cricket globally.
WTF Sports appoints Harmanpreet Kaur and Suresh Raina as global brand ambassadors
Fantasy sports gaming platform WTF Sports-India and Global, has been officially launched on 6 August 2020. The WTF Sports has appointed famed Indian cricketers, Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian squad at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 and Suresh Raina, the IPL superstar as global brand ambassadors.
- Raina has also joined the brand as a strategic partner.
- The app currently hosts three major sports, multiple playing modes and exciting contests..
- Users can create their own team made up of real-life players from upcoming matches, score points based on their on-field performance and compete with other fans.
APPOINTMENTS
Ex-Lieutenant Governor of J&K G C Murmu is appointed to be the new CAG of India
Former lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir G C Murmu will be the next Comptroller & Auditor General of India.
- Murmu, a 1985 Indian Administrative Service Officer of Gujarat cadre will succeed Rajiv Mehrishi who completes his term on August 8.
Educationist Pradeep Kumar Joshi appointed UPSC Chairman
Educationist Pradeep Kumar Joshi has been appointed as the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the civil services examination to select the country’s bureaucrats and diplomats.
Ex-SBI Card head Hardayal Prasad appointed MD of PNB Housing Finance
PNB Housing Finance announced appointment of Hardayal Prasad, the former SBI Card head who left the card issuer company last month, as its new managing director and chief executive.
- The housing finance company promoted by country’s second largest state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) currently has Neeraj Vyas as its interim chief. Prasad will assume charge on August 10.
P S Ranipse becomes new IG of CRPF
Odisha cadre IPS officer, P S Ranipse has been appointed as Inspector General (IG), in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He will hold the post on Central deputation for a period of five years from the date of joining.
AWARDS
Indian Express journalist wins Prem Bhatia Award for political reporting
The Indian Express Special Correspondent Dipankar Ghose has won the Prem Bhatia Award for political reporting for his work on issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the migrant labour crisis.
- While Ghose won the award for the category of reporting on political issues, the award for reporting on environmental and development issues was given to the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a journalism website dedicated to reporting on rural India.
OBITUARIES
Renowned TV actor Sameer Sharma passes away
Veteran actor Sameer Sharma has passed away. He was found hanging in his house. Sharma, who was residing in Mumbai, died at the age of 44. He was found hanging from the kitchen ceiling of his home.
Mukund Lath, prominent cultural historian and exponent of Mewati gharana, passes away at 82
Mukund Lath, prominent cultural historian, scholar, and an exponent of the Mewati gharana has passed away at the age of 82.
- A trained singer in Indian classical music, Lath studied under the tutelage of Pandit Maniram, Ramesh Chakravarti, and later more rigorously, under Pandit Jasraj, whom he also accompanied on several tours and concerts.
Author and activist Sadia Dehlvi passes away at 63
Noted Delhi-based writer and activist Sadia Dehlvi has passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was 63. Sadia was admitted to a city hospital recently where she was undergoing treatment.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Shirley Ann Grau passes away
Shirley Ann Grau, a Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer whose stories and novels told of both the dark secrets and the beauty of the Deep South, has passed away. She was 91.
- Grau won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for her fourth book, “The Keepers of the House.”
BOOKS
Bollywood Fimmaker Shiv Panikker Launches Graphic Novel ‘Gone Case’
Shiv Panikker, a seasoned Producer, Director, Screenwriter from the Bollywood industry recently launched his first ever graphic novel, ‘Gone Case’, a horror/mystery comic book that Indian audiences would be able to relate to.
- Published by Blue Rose Publishers, Gone Case is a series of events all connected together after tumbling down the rabbit hole that connects to one big case.
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