17th August, 2023

1. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has launched the National Space Innovation Challenge (NSIC) 2023 in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Navars Edutech.
2. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
3. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has officially inaugurated a Microgrid Power Plant for Renewable Energy, aimed at fulfilling the electrical energy requirements of rural communities.
4. Telangana has launched India’s first Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) and Agriculture Data Management Framework in Hyderabad.
5. Union Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the multi-level flyover at Pune’s Chandni Chowk.
6. Fiscal Health of States: A Report
7. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has partnered with Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMFL), better known as Amul, to offer financial services to federation’s supply network pan-India under the MUDRA scheme.
8. Chakr Innovation, a pioneering startup specializing in pollution reduction solutions, has secured a funding of INR 18 crores from the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
9. Apple has announced to commence the production of its AirPods wireless earbuds at Foxconn’s facility in Hyderabad.
10. Indian IT services company Infosys has won a $1.6 billion deal from Liberty Global to build and scale the entertainment and connectivity platforms of the digital communications firm.
11. IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal and his family will sell around 4% stake in InterGlobe Aviation Ltd for up to $450 million (₹3,370 crore) through a block deal.
12. Goa government has launched its flagship scheme “Gramin Mitra” to provide doorstep delivery of government schemes across the state and promote digital empowerment in rural areas.
13. Indian Navy ships INS Visakhapatnam and Deepak are visiting Port Mina Salman, Bahrain.
14. 13 August- World Organ Donation Day
15. NHPC Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Universal Health Foundation to fulfil its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
16. Former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Prof MR Satyanaryana Rao has passed away.
17. ‘Champaran Mutton’ has made it to the semi-finals of the Student Academy Award.
18. Former India captain and legendary footballer Mohammed Habib has passed away.
19. Renowned social activist and founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has passed away.
20. England pacer Steven Finn has officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

National News

1. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has launched the National Space Innovation Challenge (NSIC) 2023 in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Navars Edutech.

Key Highlights:

About NSIC 2023

• Objective: To ignite next generation space enthusiast to understand and contribute towards growing Indian space economy and future space workforce.
• Launched by: It is national-level campaign launched by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with ISRO and Navars EduTech.
• Participation Eligibility: It is open to all school students (Classes 5 to 12) from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and Non-ATL schools across the country.
• Participating students will be given an open platform to innovate and enable themselves to solve modern-day space technology problems.
• Duration: August 11 to September 20, 2023.

2. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
   • Purpose: To strengthen apprenticeship ecosystem in India.

3. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has officially inaugurated a Microgrid Power Plant for Renewable Energy, aimed at fulfilling the electrical energy requirements of rural communities.

What is a microgrid?

• A renewable energy microgrid is an autonomous, localised and self-contained energy system that incorporates renewable energy sources as its primary generation inputs. The major building blocks of a renewable energy microgrid include various components and systems that work together to generate, store, manage, and distribute energy in a localized and sustainable manner.
  Source: PIB

State News

1. Telangana has launched India’s first Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX) and Agriculture Data Management Framework in Hyderabad.
   • The ADeX has been developed as a digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector and is a collaboration between the State Government, the World Economic Forum, and the Indian Institute of Science.
   • In Phase-I of the project, the ADeX Platform is currently deployed in Khammam district and will be expanded to the entire state over a period.

2. Union Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the multi-level flyover at Pune’s Chandni Chowk.
   • The flyover is built by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) at the estimated cost of Rs 865 crore, with contributions from Pune Municipal Corporation as well as the state government.
     Source: FE

Banking and Economy

1. Fiscal Health of States: A Report
   • States included- 17
   • The report is written by Kaushik Das, the chief economist at Deutsche Bank India.
   • Based on the first budget estimates of the fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24)-
     • Maharashtra has secured the top position as the best state in overall fiscal health.
     • Chhattisgarh has secured the 2nd position in the report. It is one of the poorest states in the country.
     • Following it, Telangana has stood third, while the last three positions are occupied by Bengal, Punjab, and Kerala.
   • Based on the FY23 revised budget estimates, Maharashtra tops the ranking, followed by Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Telangana and Jharkhand.
   • Based on the revised FY22 actual budget data, Chhattisgarh tops the list followed by Maharashtra and Orissa.
   • The fiscal health report is based on four major fiscal criteria– fiscal deficit, own tax revenue, state debt levels, and the interest payment to revenue receipts, all as a % of their individual gross state domestic product.
     Source: HT

2. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has partnered with Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMFL), better known as Amul, to offer financial services to federation’s supply network pan-India under the MUDRA scheme.
   • Under MUDRA, the bank will finance Amul’s retailers, wholesale dealers/area milk distributors and exclusive Amul preferred outlets-milk parlours.
   • Other services will include integrating various digital channels like QR codes, POS (point of sale), UPI (Unified Payment Interface), etc., supply chain finance and EMI collection digitally, and providing working capital limits, among others.

3. Chakr Innovation, a pioneering startup specializing in pollution reduction solutions, has secured a funding of INR 18 crores from the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
   • The funds were sanctioned under EXIM Bank’s Ubharte Sitare Programme (USP), which identifies Indian companies that are future champions with good export potential. An identified company should have potential advantages by way of technology, product or process.
     Source: ANI
4. Apple has announced to commence the production of its AirPods wireless earbuds at Foxconn’s facility in Hyderabad.
   • The plant will come up with an approved investment of $400 million by Foxconn and is projected to initiate large-scale manufacturing by December 2024.
     Source: LM
5. Indian IT services company Infosys has won a $1.6 billion deal from Liberty Global to build and scale the entertainment and connectivity platforms of the digital communications firm.
   • Liberty Global plc is a British-Dutch-American multinational telecommunications company.
     Source: BT
6. IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal and his family will sell around 4% stake in InterGlobe Aviation Ltd for up to $450 million (₹3,370 crore) through a block deal.
   • A block deal is where shares valued at more than Rs 5 crore or minimum 500,000 shares of a listed company are sold in one tranche.
   • Gangwalfamily currently holds 29.72% stake in IndiGo Airlines
     Source: LM
7. Goa government has launched its flagship scheme “Gramin Mitra” to provide doorstep delivery of government schemes across the state and promote digital empowerment in rural areas.
   Source: ToI

Defence News

1. Indian Navy ships INS Visakhapatnam and Deepak are visiting Port Mina Salman, Bahrain.
   • The visit is aimed at strengthening ties between the Indian and Bahraini navies.
   • The visit includes sharing best practices to enhance cooperation between the two navies.

Source: ANI

Important Days

1. 13 August- World Organ Donation Day
   • Theme – “Step up to volunteer; need more organ donors to fill the lacunae”.
   • It was first celebrated in 2005by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Society for Organ Donation (ISOD).
   • Purpose- To raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and to encourage people to become organ donors.
     Source: HT

   
   

Memorandum of Understanding

1. NHPC Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Universal Health Foundation to fulfil its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
   • NHPC will support in providing essential infrastructure facilities to the Universal Health Foundation to establish Gramin Gyan Jyoti Kendras in 9 villages of Jodhpur district and 1 village in Nagore district, in Rajasthan.
   • The Gramin Gyan Jyoti Kendras are designed as reading room cum online coaching centers, offering an exemplary model for learning centers in rural areas.
     • These centers primarily cater to underprivileged students from educationally disadvantaged villages.

Source: PSUwatch

Miscellaneous

1. Former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Prof MR Satyanaryana Rao has passed away.

Awards

• Padma Shri in 2010.
• Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and the Centre for Genetic Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
  Source: ToI



2. ‘Champaran Mutton’ has made it to the semi-finals of the Student Academy Award.
   • The film has been selected in the semi-final round of Oscar’s Student Academy Award 2023.
   • The award is given to students studying filmmaking, university training institutes and universities, it is a branch of the Oscars. Since 1972, this award is being given to good films.
   • The film ‘Champaran Mutton’ is directed by Ranjan Kumar of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.
     Source: IT

3. Former India captain and legendary footballer Mohammed Habib has passed away.
   • Habib represented India for a decade from 1965-75 and was part of the team that won a bronze medal in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok.
   • He represented the country in 35 international matches and scored 11 goals.
     Source: IT

4. Renowned social activist and founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has passed away.
   • Sulabh International is an India-based organization that promotes human rights and environmental sanitation.
   • He was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1991.
   • In 2009, he received the Stockholm Water Prize.
   • He was also awarded the Nikkei Asia Prize, 2018 for Culture and Community.
     Source: LM
     

   
   
5. 5. England pacer Steven Finn has officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
   Source: NoA

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