13th-15th August, 2022

1. Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute gets first indigenously developed Surgical Robotic System named SSI-Mantra, developed by SS Innovations.
2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the test-firing of the Low Altitude Escape Motor (LEM) of Crew Escape System, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
3. Central government has set a target to raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15%, from 6.3% currently, in 2030.
4. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has identified 75 Municipal Corporations named as “SMILE-75 Initiative” to implement “SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”
5. Central Govt has announced that income-tax payers would not be allowed to enrol in the Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
6. Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha has inaugurated “UMEED Market Place” under AVSAR Scheme of Airport Authority of India at Srinagar International airport.
7. According to the Coir Board’s data, coir exports have increased by 14.8% to reach ₹4,340.05 crores in 2021-2022, as compared to 2020-2021.
8. 4th India-Bangladesh Annual Defence Dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division (AFD) of Bangladesh Lt. Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman.
9. IIT-Kanpur has signed an MOU with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to collaborate on research and development (R&D), and manufacturing and supplying components, sub-assemblies, and systems for India’s defence and aerospace sector.
10. The Henipavirus – also known as ‘Langya’ henipavirus (LayV) – has infected people in China.
11. China and Nepal have agreed to build the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.
12. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is planning to submit a written proposal to the UN to create a commission, with a tenure of 5 years, for promoting world peace.
13. International Labour Organization (ILO) has released the “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022”
14. Yes Bank has partnered with Treasury Tech solutions provider IBSFINtech to develop technology framework in the corporate digital solutions space.
15. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Kotak Crème – a lifestyle focused salary account – to offer an upgraded experience to its customers working in MNCs, retails, law firms, unicorns etc.
16. UNCTAD in its policy paper titled “All that glitters is not gold: The high cost of leaving cryptocurrencies unregulated” mentions that 7.3% population in India owns digital currency.
17. Central govt has reappointed four independent directors on RBI’s Board for another four years. The members are –
18. Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios of Argentina has been appointed as the Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
19. Cricketer Rishabh Pant was appointed as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
20. July 24 – National Thermal Engineer Day
21. August 12 – World Elephant Day
22. Canadian scholar, Jeffrey Armstrong, has been awarded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist for 2021.
23. Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor will be conferred with France’s highest civilian award named as Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.
24. Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has become the first cricketer to play 600 T20 matches.
25. Real Madrid has won the UEFA Super Cup (football) by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt.
26. Fox News host Uma Pemmaraju (an Indian-American journalist) has passed away.

National News

1. Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute gets first indigenously developed Surgical Robotic System named SSI-Mantra, developed by SS Innovations.
2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the test-firing of the Low Altitude Escape Motor (LEM) of Crew Escape System, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
   • LEM is an milestone in the Gaganyaan project.
   • The Crew Escape System (CES) takes away the Crew module of the Gaganyaan mission in case of any eventuality and rescues the astronauts.
   • ISRO has also launched its first ever virtual space museum named ‘SPARK’.
3. Central government has set a target to raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15%, from 6.3% currently, in 2030.
4. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has identified 75 Municipal Corporations named as “SMILE-75 Initiative” to implement “SMILE: Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”
   • Under the SMILE-75 initiative, welfare measures for persons engaged in the act of begging will be taken for their rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, awareness, education, skill development, economic linkages and convergence with other Government welfare programmes etc.
   • Budget of the Smile Scheme – Rs 100 crores till 2025-26
5. Central Govt has announced that income-tax payers would not be allowed to enrol in the Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
   • APY, launched on June 1, 2015, provides old-age income security for the unorganized sector workers in the form of a minimum assured pension (ranging from Rs 1,000-Rs 5,000/month), in proportion to individual contributions.
   • Prior to this announcement, all Indian citizens between the age group of 18-40 years could join APY.

State News

1. Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha has inaugurated “UMEED Market Place” under AVSAR Scheme of Airport Authority of India at Srinagar International airport.
   • A similar Marketplace was also opened at Jammu Airport and both the outlets will exhibit products of all 20 districts.
   • An initiative will support local art and artisans of Self Help Groups of J&K Rural Livelihood Mission, providing a platform to market local products directly to the customers.
   • The products of Self Help Groups will be unveiled at the national market, strengthen the local artisan community and provide sufficient promotional avenues for their products.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. According to the Coir Board’s data, coir exports have increased by 14.8% to reach ₹4,340.05 crores in 2021-2022, as compared to 2020-2021.
   • In terms of quantity, exports grew 6.2% to 12.34 lakh tonnes against 11.63 lakh tonnes.
   • Chairman of the Coir Board – D. Kuppuramu

Defence News

1. 4th India-Bangladesh Annual Defence Dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division (AFD) of Bangladesh Lt. Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman.
   • Both countries need to work together to implement the $500 million line of credit extended from India for defence items.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. IIT-Kanpur has signed an MOU with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to collaborate on research and development (R&D), and manufacturing and supplying components, sub-assemblies, and systems for India’s defence and aerospace sector.

International News

1. The Henipavirus – also known as ‘Langya’ henipavirus (LayV) – has infected people in China.
   • It is another zoonotic virus.
2. China and Nepal have agreed to build the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.
3. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is planning to submit a written proposal to the UN to create a commission, with a tenure of 5 years, for promoting world peace.
   • The commission intends to include Pope Francis, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and Indian PM Narendra Modi.

Reports and Indices

1. International Labour Organization (ILO) has released the “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022”
   • The total global number of unemployed youth is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, a slight improvement from 2021 (75 million), but still six million above the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
   • In India, the youth employment participation rate declined by 9 percentage points over the first nine months of 2021 relative to its value in 2020, while it increased by 2 percentage points for adults over the same time period.
   • India experienced severe working-hour and employment losses in 2020 and 2021.

Banking and Economy

1. Yes Bank has partnered with Treasury Tech solutions provider IBSFINtech to develop technology framework in the corporate digital solutions space.
2. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched Kotak Crème – a lifestyle focused salary account – to offer an upgraded experience to its customers working in MNCs, retails, law firms, unicorns etc.
3. UNCTAD in its policy paper titled “All that glitters is not gold: The high cost of leaving cryptocurrencies unregulated” mentions that 7.3% population in India owns digital currency.
   • Ukraine topped the list with 12.7%, followed by Russia (11.9%), Venezuela (10.3%), Singapore (9.4%), Kenya (8.5%), U.S. (8.3%) and India (7.3%).

Appointments

1. Central govt has reappointed four independent directors on RBI’s Board for another four years. The members are –
   • Gurumurthy (RSS ideologue)
   • Satish K. Marathe (cooperative movement veteran)
   • Revathy Iyer
   • Sachin Chaturvedi
2. Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios of Argentina has been appointed as the Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
   • UNMOGIP emerged from UN Security Council Resolution 39 of January 1948 that set up the UN Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP).
3. Cricketer Rishabh Pant was appointed as the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Important Days

1. July 24 – National Thermal Engineer Day
2. August 12 – World Elephant Day

Awards

1. Canadian scholar, Jeffrey Armstrong, has been awarded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist for 2021.
   • Reason – in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study/teaching/research in India’s philosophy, thought, history, art, culture, Indian languages, literature, civilisation, society, etc.
   • India’s consul-general Manish gave this award at a ceremony in Vancouver.
2. Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor will be conferred with France’s highest civilian award named as Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur.
   • The Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour), instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding contribution to the recipient’s field of expertise, regardless of their nationality.

Sports

1. Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has become the first cricketer to play 600 T20 matches.
2. Real Madrid has won the UEFA Super Cup (football) by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt.

Miscellaneous

1. Fox News host Uma Pemmaraju (an Indian-American journalist) has passed away.

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