National & International Appointments
1. Satya Pal Malik appointed as Governor of Meghalaya
- Satya Pal Malik has been appointed as Governor of Meghalaya with effect from August 18, 2020.
- He will succeed Tathagata Roy, who served for 2 years as Governor of Meghalaya
- Prior to this, he was serving as the Governor of Goa.
- He was also the last governor of Jammu and Kashmir state, before its bifurcation into Union Territory.
- Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been given additional charge as the Governor of Goa, in addition to his own duties.
National Affairs
2. Nitin Gadkari launches farm-to-fork service portal 'VedKrishi'
- MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari has rolled out an online farm-to-fork service platform called 'VedKrishi'
- The portal will facilitate the farmers to sell their non-toxic farm produce directly to the consumers
- It will enable home delivery of grocery products including dairy goods, vegetables, grains, and pulses, apart from pickles, juices, sauces, etc.
- It has been set-up by Nagpur-based farmer producer organization VedKrishi Farmer Producer Company.
Summits & Conferences
3. 13th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting held virtually
- 13th edition of India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation was held virtually to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two strategic partners.
- It was co-chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- The meeting focused on progress of institutional mechanisms to guide and promote multifaceted bilateral cooperation through agreements
Honours & Awards
4. Vice-President announced ARIIA 2020 virtually
- Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in presence of Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank announced ‘Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements,’ (ARIIA) 2020 virtually
- IIT Madras bagged the top spot for best centrally funded institution followed by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IISc Bengaluru and IIT Kharagpur.
- Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Odisha bags the 1st spot in private institutions category followed by SRM and Vellore Institute of Technology.
Banking & Finance
5. RBI releases framework for Retail Payments authorisation of Umbrella Entity
- RBI has released ‘framework for authorisation of pan-India Umbrella Entity for Retail Payments’ along with inviting application for entity till February 2021.
- The selected entities will be incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 2013 and may be ‘for-profit’ or a Section 8 Company and shall be authorised by RBI under section 4 of PSS Act, 2007.
- After receiving approval, the entity may start functioning for Retail Payments in India just like NPCI.
Banking & Finance
6. Fino Payments Bank rolls out Jan Savings Account
- Fino Payments Bank has rolled out Aadhaar Authentication based digital savings account titled ‘Jan Savings Account/ Jan BachatKhata’
- Beneficiaries: Low income household families and government’s direct benefit transfer (DBT) members
- The account will be a complete digital banking experience through mobile applications
- Interest Rate: Up to Rs 1 lakh is 2.75% p.a. on EOD
- Minimum Balance: Nil
- Customers can transact at Fino branch or merchant point with fingerprint and OTP
National & International Appointments
7. G P Garg appointed as Executive Director of SEBI
- G P Garg has been appointed as the Executive Director of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
- Prior to this, he was serving as the Chief General Manager-Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) in SEBI.
- He joined SEBI in 1994 and headed dept like Treasury and Accounts, Facilities Management, Establishment, Office of Investor Assistance, Education and Central Public Information Office.
- He played significant role in NISM establishment.
- Chairman: Ajay Tyagi
Books & Authors
8. Arjun Subramaniam penned down ‘Full Spectrum: India”s Wars, 1972-2020’
- Retired Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam has penned down a book titled ‘Full Spectrum: India's Wars, 1972-2020’
- It will be released by September 2020 and is published by HarperCollins India
- The book is a comprehensive account of war and conflict in contemporary India over the past five decades next month.
- It covers major operation of armed forces since 1972, including Kargil conflict of 1999
- It is a sequel of his previous book ‘India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971’
Sports
9. Dream11 wins IPL 2020 title sponsorship rights
- Fantasy sports platform ‘Dream11’ won the title sponsorship rights for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, replacing Chinese mobile phone company Vivo
- It will hold the sponsorship rights for a four and a half month deal.
- The platform has signed Rs 222-crore deal with BCCI for this.
- IPL 2020 is expected to be held from September 19 to November 10, 2020.
- Dream11 is an Indian company founded by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth
- BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly
Important Dates
10. World Humanitarian Day being observed today
- World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is being observed annually on 19 August to pay tribute to humanitarian personnel and workers who lost or risked their lives while doing humanitarian service.
- This day was designated in memory of Canal Hotel bomb attack in Iraq on killing 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq on August 19, 2003
- UN General Assembly formalized the day as World Humanitarian Day in 2009
- WHD 2020 Theme: #RealLifeHeroes.
Defense
11. Defence Minister addresses Naval Commanders' Conference 2020
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the inaugural session of Naval Commanders' Conference-2020
- It is a 3-day biennial conference.
- The agenda of the conference is Navy’s Modernisation and Security in the Indian Ocean amidst the situation at the LAC in Ladakh
- It is the apex level event for interaction between the Naval Commanders
- It will focus on joint planning structures, Tri-Service Synergy, and operational readiness to improve efficiency
National Affairs
12. Indian Railways introduce Drone based surveillance system
- Indian Railways have introduced Drone based surveillance system for the purpose of Railway security.
- Railway Protection Force (RPF) have procured 9 drones at a cost of around 32 lakh at South Eastern Railway, Central Railway, Modern Coaching Factory, Raebareli and South Western Railway.
- These drones are capable of Real Time Tracking, video streaming and can be used at disaster sites for helping in rescue, recovery, restoration and coordination.
State Affairs
13. Chhattisgarh Govt to launch Padhai Tuhar Para scheme
- Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has announced to launch student centric scheme titled as ‘Padhai Tuhar Para’
- It will enable the school students to study with the help of community in their localities and villages amid the suspension of classes due to coronavirus outbreak.
- Along with this, ‘Bultu Ke Bol’ (Bluetooth-based programme for study materials); Mukhyamantri Slum Swasthya Yojana (health facilities at doorstep) and Radhabai Diagnostic Centre Scheme will be launched
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